Teacher's Pet
by IceQueenRia
Summary: Hermione is attacked by death eaters. She manages to escape by turning into her animagus form. She ends up becoming Snape’s new pet. Unsure if he can be trusted she stays in her cat form and gets an inside look at what Snape is really like.
1. Ball of Fluff

**Teacher's Pet**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Summary: **During the summer, Hermione is attacked by death eaters. She manages to escape by turning into her animagus form. Somehow, she ends up in Spinner's End and becomes Snape's new pet. Unsure if he can be trusted she stays in her cat form and gets an inside look at what Snape is really like.

Disregards the half-blood prince.

**Chapter 1-Ball of Fluff**

It was the summer before Hermione Granger's seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry. She had turned down Ron Weasley's invite to spend the holidays with his family along with their friend Harry Potter in favour of spending the summer with her parents.

Hermione's parents were muggles, non-magic people, and both of them worked as dentists. As a young girl, Hermione had been very close to both her mum and her dad but her years spent at Hogwarts had affected that.

Before attending Hogwarts, the family of three had done everything together. They had always done something fun on the weekends such as visiting art galleries, museums, going to the theatre or just watching movies in the comfort of their own home. Many a night Hermione and her mother had stayed up talking about boys and other girly things.

However, Hogwarts was a boarding school so Hermione was away from her parents for the better part of the year. During her first year she had written letters to her parents nearly every day and they had always responded. Then in second year Hermione only sent letters once a week. In third year it became once a month then less and less during her fourth and fifth years. In her sixth year, Hermione had sent home no more than three letters throughout the school year.

At the beginning of summer when she had returned home she had been hit with the harsh realisation of how she and her parents had drifted apart. The conversation had been awkward in the car ride home; it was like talking to strangers. Then when Hermione had entered the actual house she was shocked to find so many changes. As she carried her trunk up to her bedroom she also found that the house didn't feel like home anymore. For these reasons, she had decided to spend the entire summer with her parents in the hopes that she could repair the damage to their relationship.

Her parents still loved her of course, Hermione knew that and she loved them too but neither she nor they could deny that they weren't as close as they ought to be.

The first week home had been the worst. As much as Hermione tried she found it impossible to connect with her mum and dad. They spoke of things that had been happening at work or amongst their friends but Hermione found the information to be dull. In turn, she told them all about Hogwarts and her magical studies but they didn't understand anything their daughter said.

One night, her mother had tried to stir up a conversation about boys. Hermione talked about Harry and Ron for a while but when her mother asked about any school crushes or romance the conversation died and Hermione went up to bed.

Now there was just one month left until Hermione returned to school and things were still awkward between herself and her parents but there was still notable improvement. They had even taken to doing something as a family at the weekends.

On this particular weekend the three of them were shopping in London, something that Hermione and her mum found more enjoyable than her dad. They also stopped for lunch at a fancy restaurant and they had tickets to see The Lion King later on in the afternoon.

They were walking down a busy street when Hermione sensed dark magic in the air. Feeling tense she scanned the streets looking for a hint of danger. To her eyes, everything appeared to be normal but Hermione just knew that something wasn't right.

As she and her parents carried on down the street Hermione could have sworn they were being followed but she couldn't see who by. It was when an old lady dropped her purse and Hermione bent down to pick it up for her that she spotted the rat.

She let out a gasp and the rat, or more accurately the animagus Peter Pettigrew, let out a squeak before scurrying off.

"Are you alright dear?" The old lady asked kindly.

"Fine." Hermione lied as she handed the purse to her. "I'm fine." She added to her parents before quickening her pace.

"Hermione, slow down darling." Her mum called as her dad jogged behind carrying all the shopping bags.

Ignoring the calls of her parents, Hermione pulled her wand out of her handbag and gripped it tightly before breaking into a run. She ran as fast as she could hoping that Wormtail and any other death eaters that might be near would follow her ensuring that her parents would be safe.

With her brown curls streaming out behind her, Hermione barged her way through the crowds of people not caring about the disgruntled remarks they made. She turned into an alleyway and leaned against the wall panting for breath.

Barely a minute later three figures advanced on her. One she recognised as Rodolphus Lestrange but the other two men she could not identify. A squeak from below indicated that Wormtail had followed too.

Hermione kicked her foot in the rat's direction and he darted out of the way. Returning her attention to the other three she held her wand steady and aimed it at them.

"She is a pretty girl." One of them said. "Even if she is a mudblood."

"She's a close friend of Potter's." Rodolphus said as they stalked ever nearer. "The dark lord wants her alive, she could have valuable information. It's Miss Granger isn't it?" He asked almost sounding polite. "Snape has informed our lord all about you. Clever little miss know-it-all. The dark lord will be so pleased to meet you."

By now Hermione had backed up against the wall and her only way out was through the death eaters or to climb the wall behind her. She looked up but the wall was much too high and her chances of fighting off the three death eaters and Wormtail were not great.

Thinking she only had one option she closed her eyes and concentrated hard. When she opened her eyes again she was on the ground on all fours before streaking easily past her attackers and running through the streets in her animagus form of a sleek black cat with a few wisps of brown fur on her feline head.

All Hermione could think to do was keep running. It didn't matter where she ran too right now so long as she got away from the death eaters. Unfortunately, her wand and her handbag were still in that alley.

As Hermione scrambled through a bush, a thorn embedded itself into her left paw and she let out a mewl of agony. Her cries had attracted somebody's curiosity and she heard footsteps coming nearer to the bush she was currently trapped in. Two pale and obviously male hands pushed apart the branches and roughly pulled her out of the hedge. Looking up she let out a purr of surprise when she found herself in the arms of none other than Hogwarts' potions master Severus Snape.

Hermione's first instinct was to revert to her human form with the hopes that Snape would help her find her parents and her wand then go home but not entirely sure if Snape was to be trusted she remained cat-like. Back in that alleyway Lestrange had mentioned Snape so he clearly believed the man to be loyal to the dark side.

She knew that Dumbledore thought Snape was trustworthy but right now that wasn't enough for Hermione. As soon as Snape set her back on the ground she would run away and change back when she was sure she was safe.

The only problem was that Snape didn't seem to be putting her down anytime soon. In fact he was carrying her over to a car and dropping her into the front seat before sliding in and turning on the ignition.

Hermione gaped at the man completely shocked that he owned a car and even more shocked at the fact she was being given a ride in it.

"What are you looking at you stupid cat?" He asked gruffly as he drove down the road.

Hermione let out an affronted meow at him calling her 'stupid'. A short drive later they ended up outside a walk-in veterinary centre. Snape stepped out of the car, grabbed hold of Hermione then took her into the vet where a nice white haired man treated the injury to her paw.

"She's a beautiful cat you have sir." The vet complimented. "You ought to get a collar for her though."

"She's a stray." Snape told him. "I thought perhaps you could take her and give her to a nice family or something."

"We only treat the animals here sir, we are not able to give them homes." The white haired man replied. "You could always call the RSPCA. Or you could just keep her as a pet."

"I do not like pets." Snape replied. "They're almost as bad as teaching bratty little children."

"Well then I suppose its back on the dangerous streets for this pretty little cat." The other man replied as he clucked his tongue and let out a deep sigh.

"I will not be guilt tripped into caring for a flea-ridden ball of fluff with four legs and a tail." Snape snapped at him.

"This cat doesn't have fleas." The man told him. "She's very healthy in fact."

"I really couldn't care." Snape drawled. "How much do I owe you for her treatment?"

After paying the muggle Snape carried Hermione back out and loaded her into the car again.

"You see how much you're costing me when you're not even my pet you silly feline." Snape complained as he started the car.

Hermione wanted desperately to dig her claws into him and draw blood but she didn't dare. He'd probably hex her then chop up her cat body and cook it in a stew.

This car journey was a lot longer and Snape drove them out of London. Hours later, when the sun had set he pulled up in a small town called Spinner's End. He parked the car in the garden of what Hermione assumed was his house before unplugging his seat belt and picking her up in one hand. Snape walked onto the pavement then set her down.

"Shoo." He said waving his hand at her.

Swishing her tail behind her Hermione stayed where she was.

"Go on you silly creature." Snape urged. "Go."

Hermione sat back on her legs and cocked her head to the side as she surveyed him through her cat eyes.

"It's no good sitting there looking all cute." Snape told her. "I don't want you now be gone."

The professor stared menacingly at the cat trying to look intimidating but Hermione was far too used to receiving that glare in his lessons to be affected by it anymore.

"Fine." Snape sighed eventually.

He stooped down and swept her up before carrying her up to his house and opening the front door. He flicked on the lights then dropped her onto the carpet.

"If you dare leave your droppings around the house it'll be the last thing you ever do cat." Snape warned.

He kicked off his shoes then made his way into the kitchen. He muttered a few spells with his wand then placed a bowl of cat food on the floor.

"Eat." He ordered in his teacher voice before setting about making his own meal.

Because she was starving, Hermione shelved her pride and flicked her tongue out to taste the cat food. To her surprise it didn't taste that bad, it was delicious in fact. She supposed that must be because she now had cat taste buds as opposed to human ones.

When she had finished eating she crawled through Snape's house finding the whole experience fascinating. She wondered what the man might do if he ever discovered it was really her.

That night, Snape transfigured a broken quill into a sleeping basket fit for a cat and he placed it in his bedroom beside his bed. Hermione was surprised by this but was in no position to question it. She merely hopped into the basket and curled up making herself comfortable.

"I suppose I ought to name you." Snape said as he began changing.

Had Hermione been in her human form she would no doubt have blushed at the sight of her professor taking off his clothes. She turned her head before he removed his pants and let out a weird noise.

"Let me think, what should I name you?" Snape asked himself. "Fluff-ball? Puss? Kitty? Whiskers?"

Hermione didn't like the sound of either of those names. She preferred her own name but as Snape didn't speak cat she couldn't tell him what it was and she still didn't dare turn back into her human form for fear of him handing her over to Voldemort. Even if he really was on Dumbledore's side Hermione suspected he'd hand her over to the death eaters as revenge for her coming into his home under the guise of a cat.

"You know what; I'm going to call you Katrina, Kat for short." Snape decided.

As her professor climbed into bed Hermione scoffed at his unimaginative name. She was just settling down to sleep when she heard the sound of Snape screaming.

**What do you think? Should I continue?**

**Please Review, IceQueenRia xxx**


	2. Strangest Summer

**Disclaimer-I am not J.K Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, I'm glad you like this idea, hope you continue to enjoy.**

**Chapter 2-Strangest Summer **

_Previously…_

She was just settling down to sleep when she heard the sound of Snape screaming.

The heart-wrenching cries that ripped from Snape's mouth made Hermione's hairs stand on end. She sprung onto the bed beside him trying to work out what was wrong. As she took in the sight of his tightly shut eyelids she realised he was having a nightmare.

Tentatively, Hermione darted her pink cat tongue out to lick the side of her professor's face. She purred softly in his ear and rubbed her head against his cheek. His eyes flickered open and he sat up gasping for breath.

"Just a dream." He told himself sternly. "Just a dream."

He then turned to look down at Hermione and he frowned at her before shoving her unceremoniously off the bed.

"Stupid animal." Snape muttered as he lay back down pulling the covers over his head.

Finding the man's behaviour completely rude, Hermione made her way back to her basket and curled up. She wondered what Snape could have been dreaming about to affect him so badly. The only other person Hermione knew to have nightmares so severe was Harry.

Thankfully, Snape had no more nightmares that night and Hermione was able to sleep peacefully. However, when morning came she noticed that the potions teacher looked incredibly tired. There were dark circles shading his eyes and she strongly suspected that he'd been tossing and turning all night.

After preparing her a tin of cat food and a bowl of milk, Snape headed for the shower. Whilst the man was freshening up, Hermione took the time to look at the photographs on the mantelpiece above the fire. To her slight surprise they were all muggle photos.

The one in the middle depicted a plain looking woman who shared a few of Snape's features. Hermione assumed the woman to be his mother. On the left was a photo of the same woman with a young Snape in her arms. The baby Snape was surprisingly chubby when compared to the slender man he was now. Finally, on the right was a photo of a teenaged Snape hugging a potions book to his chest with a pretty redhead standing behind him with an arm draped around his neck smiling happily. As Hermione looked closer she was shocked to realise that the redhead was in fact Harry's mother. Her green eyes were the same shape and shade of her son's that it couldn't be anyone else but Lily Potter, or Lily Evans as she was known then.

A few minutes later, a fully dressed Snape stalked into the living room and Hermione ducked her head to the floor feeling guilty for looking at his photos.

"What's wrong with you Kat?" He asked her rhetorically as he settled himself onto the old dumpy brown sofa and flicked on the television.

If Hermione had been human she might have laughed at the sight of Snape lazing around watching the television. It just seemed so out of character.

All of a sudden, the fireplace burst into flame and Hermione scampered away so as not to singe her fur.

"Relax Kat; it's nothing to be afraid of." Snape told her sounding mocking rather than comforting.

A second later the flames turned green and Albus Dumbledore emerged from the flames dusting soot off his vibrant purple robes. Shortly after him Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped out and stood by the headmaster's side.

"Albus." Snape greeted with an incline of his head as he turned the T.V off and stood up. "Kingsley."

"Ah Severus." Dumbledore replied. "Bad news I'm afraid."

"Isn't it always?" Snape retorted rudely.

"Hermione Granger." Kingsley said and Hermione purred in response.

"Oh Severus, you've got yourself a cat." Dumbledore remarked as he crouched down to stroke Hermione's head. "Hello pretty kitty. Are you taking care of surly old Severus?"

"I do not need taking care of." Snape scoffed.

"Of course not Severus." Dumbledore replied patronisingly.

Clearing his throat, Kingsley reminded the other two of his presence and the matter at hand.

"Miss Granger is missing." Kingsley informed Snape. "She went to London with her parents yesterday but she did not go home with them. We fear she may have been captured by death eaters."

Standing up, Dumbledore withdrew Hermione's wand and handbag from his robes and placed them on Snape's coffee table.

"Tonks found these in an alleyway." Dumbledore said. "But we've no idea what might have happened to her or where she might be."

"Why are you telling me?" Snape asked. "I couldn't care less about the girl."

For some reason, that comment hurt Hermione more than it should have. Knowing that with Dumbledore present she'd be safe from Snape's outrage, she closed her eyes preparing to turn back. She waited for the sounds of surprise but they didn't come. Opening her eyes she found that she was still far shorter than the three men. She opened her mouth intending to tell them what had happened last night but all that came out was a meow.

Realising she was still in her cat form, Hermione began to panic. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wrapped herself round Dumbledore's legs to get his attention and tried to communicate with him that she was in fact Hermione. However, Dumbledore was completely oblivious and merely called her a 'nice kitty' as he patted her furry head.

"Have you had any word from you-know-who?" Kingsley asked Snape. "Did he have plans to capture Hermione at all?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Snape answered.

"Severus, we need you to find out if Hermione has indeed been captured." Dumbledore said. "And if she has been we will need to find a way to rescue her."

"If Granger has indeed been captured by the death eaters she's probably dead already." Snape replied uncaringly. "She's a muggle-born; they'll torture and kill her for their own entertainment."

"But they know she's close to Potter." Kingsley pointed out. "Surely they'd keep her alive in order to get information out of her."

"Granger is a stubborn brat." Snape told the auror. "She'd die before she told them even the smallest piece of information. The dark lord will realise quickly that she'll not cave in and he'll dispose of her. If she's been caught, then she's already dead."

"Nevertheless we must continue searching for her." Kingsley said. "It is a possibility that she's somewhere safe. Perhaps she escaped her attackers."

"Without her wand?" Snape asked derisively. "Not likely. Just face it, Granger's dead."

Kingsley shook his head disapprovingly at the pale skinned man before excusing himself and disappearing through the floo.

"Don't look at me like that Albus." Snape complained as Dumbledore surveyed him through his twinkling blue eyes.

"You do not fool me Severus." Dumbledore said calmly. "I know you care about Miss Granger's safety."

"Oh please." Snape scoffed. "I only care about my safety. Everyone else can to hell for all I care."

"But you do care Severus." Dumbledore told him. "Far more than you'd like others to believe. There is so much love in your heart my boy. You'd have made a good Hufflepuff you know."

Snape blanched at the comment looking highly insulted whilst Hermione purred in amusement at the thought.

"I will leave you now." Dumbledore said. "Be sure to inform me as soon as you know anything about Hermione's whereabouts. Bye, bye sweet kitty."

With that Dumbledore took his leave.

"Crazy old fool." Snape muttered to himself once the headmaster had gone.

He picked up Hermione's wand off of the coffee table and twirled it between his fingers before placing it back down. He then picked up her handbag and looked through it briefly before setting it back down.

"What do you think Kat?" Snape asked. "Is Granger alive or dead?"

If Hermione could have answered she would have told him that she was very much alive but currently stuck in the form of a cat.

"I suppose Potter and Weasley are worrying." Snape commented. "If Granger isn't found before school starts they'll have to do their homework by themselves for once."

Hermione leapt onto Snape's lap and stood on her back legs placing her paws on his shoulders so she could look him directly in the eye. She purred at him desperate for him to somehow recognise her.

"You're a strange cat, Kat." Snape told her. "Now what are you trying to tell me? It's no good purring at me. I'm a human, I don't speak feline. Why don't you run around and hunt for mice or something?"

Hermione shook her head and Snape gave her a puzzled look.

"Did you…can you understand me?" Snape asked in shock and Hermione nodded her head eagerly. Snape's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "That's…that's impossible. You don't understand me at all, it's just coincidence. Now get off my lap."

Letting out a mewl of annoyance Hermione jumped down back onto the carpet and headed to the kitchen to lap up some milk. Once she had quenched her thirst, she concentrated hard trying to change back into a girl. Her efforts were wasted and she whined in agitation before returning to Snape's side to glare up at him as if it was somehow his fault.

"Stop that, it's very annoying." Snape hissed at her as he rested his feet on the coffee table. "Kat, it would be wrong to think you can out glare me. I am the master of evil stares."

Snape then moved off of the sofa and positioned himself stomach down on the floor facing Hermione and they glared hard at one another.

"I can't believe I'm having a staring match with a cat." Snape drawled.

They held one another's gaze a long time both determined to win but eventually Snape gave up and turned away. As he settled himself back on the sofa the fire came to life once more and somebody tumbled ungracefully out of the fireplace.

Looking round, Hermione was shocked to find Draco Malfoy sprawled on the carpet blushing slightly from embarrassment before picking himself up.

"Hi uncle Sev." He said.

"Draco, I thought you and your mother were holidaying in Greece." Snape replied.

"No." Draco told him. "That's a lie father created with the hopes that the dark lord would leave mother and I alone. They both feared that he might try and mark me this summer."

"So why are you in my house?" Snape asked.

"Well mother hoped that…well that you'd…take care of me." Draco said meekly as he withdrew his trunk from his pocket then took out his wand to restore it to its normal size. "So, can I stay with you for the rest of the summer?"

"I don't have a choice do I?" Snape groaned. "Fine, you may stay. Take your things through to the guest room."

"Thanks uncle Sev, you're the best." Draco exclaimed and it was then that his eyes landed on Hermione. "Hey, I didn't know you had a cat."

"She's a stray I found off the street." Snape explained. "Silly creature won't leave me alone."

"She's gorgeous." Draco complimented as he began stroking Hermione's leek black fur. "What's her name?"

"Kat." Snape answered. "Short for Katrina."

"Katrina." Draco said approvingly.

So, Hermione was stuck in her animagus form and was being housed by Snape and Draco Malfoy had just moved in and was gushing over her beauty and now tickling her tummy. This was definitely the strangest summer Hermione had experienced thus far.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	3. Unsent Letters

**Disclaimer-Do I own Harry Potter? No, I do not.**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone : )**

**Chapter 3-Unsent Letters **

Normally, Hermione was not one for spying on others as she believed it to be an invasion of privacy. Had Ron or Harry been in her situation she would have lectured them relentlessly for nosing in other people's personal lives. However, she couldn't deny her curiosity and she found watching Snape and Malfoy to be very intriguing.

The way they behaved was different to how they presented themselves at school. Away from the hundreds of Hogwarts students, Snape didn't seem half as frightening. He also roamed about the house in muggle clothes. It was quite a sight to see the potions master, who at school prowled the corridors dressed head to toe in black, dressed in tight faded jeans and light coloured t-shirts.

Hermione had also seen the man smile on the odd occasion and he had even laughed at something Malfoy told him at dinner. It was very strange. The man looked so much more human and dare she say quite handsome.

Then there was Malfoy. Away from his peers he seemed more relaxed and care-free. He looked happy. The way he carried himself was different. His usual swagger was gone and instead he moved about casually in a style similar to Harry. He also looked friendlier without that smirk plastered on his face and the way he talked had a warmer quality to it, no drawl or biting sarcasm, just a normal friendly tone.

The blonde didn't seem at all like the arrogant bully Hermione had gone to school with for six years. He seemed a different person entirely, someone kind and caring, someone she could see herself being friends with.

After dinner, Snape cleaned the plates with a wave of his wand then he and Malfoy settled down on the sofa to watch television. Snape turned on the news and both men froze when they saw Hermione's face on the T.V screen.

'Seventeen year old school girl Hermione Granger was reported missing after a day out in London with her parents…' The news reader said.

"Granger's missing?" Malfoy enquired as the photo of Hermione was replaced by something else and the next news story started.

"Yes." Snape replied. "It is possible she's been captured by the death eaters."

"So, this wand and this handbag, is it hers?" Malfoy asked as he looked at Hermione's possessions that had to be moved from the coffee table.

"Yes, they are hers." Snape answered. "Dumbledore brought them round. They were found in an alleyway."

"Do you think the death eaters have captured her?" Malfoy asked.

"I don't know Draco." Snape sighed. "Now that's enough talk about Granger."

"But if she has been captured by them they'll kill her." Malfoy said.

"Be careful Draco, it almost sounds like you care." Snape told him sardonically.

The blonde frowned at him before picking Hermione's wand up and looking at it from different angles.

"Granger and I may not have been friends but I don't want her to die." Malfoy said.

"I'm sure the order or the muggle police will find her." Snape replied though there was no conviction in his voice.

"You think she's already dead don't you?" Malfoy asked.

"I don't know." Snape answered him. "And quite frankly I don't care."

"Yes you do." Malfoy said quietly.

Snape turned to glare at the teen boy and Malfoy simply glared back at him, coal black meeting storm grey.

"Go and do your homework or something." Snape snapped pulling his eyes away.

"I completed all of that in the first week of the holidays." Malfoy replied smugly briefly sounding like the arrogant boy Hermione was used to.

"Then go to your room and polish your broomstick." Snape told him.

Malfoy quirked an eyebrow in response obviously thinking something dirty.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Snape said.

"Right, of course not Sev." Malfoy said in amusement as he stood up. "Come on Kat; let's leave misery guts to his surly thoughts."

Having nothing better to do Hermione padded along behind Malfoy and followed him into his room. He closed the door and flicked on the light before slumping onto the bed.

"Sev's not as mean as he pretends to be you know." Malfoy commented as Hermione jumped onto the bed. "The way he acts, it's all just a defence mechanism I think. He doesn't like to be vulnerable so he acts like a bastard."

Hermione listened to the boy's analysis of the potions teacher with interest as Malfoy traced the brown wisps of fur on the back of her head with his finger.

"So where did you come from anyway Katrina?" Malfoy asked. "You must have belonged to someone."

All Hermione could do was purr as her school rival massaged her head.

"I guess whoever it was didn't want you." Malfoy said sadly. "Well to hell with them. Their loss is our gain because you're a gorgeous cat. When school starts again you can come with us. You'll love Hogwarts. It's an incredible magical place and you can visit me in my dorm whenever Sev is being snarky. I'll introduce you to the caretaker's cat Mrs. Norris and you can beat her up."

At the mention of Mrs. Norris Hermione began to think about her own cat, Crookshanks. She hoped he was ok without her and that her parents were taking good care of him.

"I hope Granger's alive." Malfoy sighed unexpectedly and Hermione blinked at him in surprise.

She curled up waiting for Malfoy to say something more but he remained silent. She purred softly and nudged him with her head hoping to encourage him to talk some more but he didn't.

Eventually he got up and rummaged through his trunk and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink. He took out one of his school books and used it to lean on as he began to write. Hermione moved so she could get a glimpse of what he was writing. At the top of the page he had written 'Dear Harry'.

Hermione stared up at the blonde in disbelief. The fact he was writing to Harry was a shock in itself, the two hated each other after all, but what was even more shocking was the fact that Malfoy referred to him as Harry and not as Potter.

To say Hermione was confused would be an understatement. What business did Malfoy have writing to Harry? It didn't make any sense. Had the Slytherin written to Harry before? If so then why had Harry never told her about it? She could understand Harry keeping such information from Ron as he wasn't the most understanding of people but surely Harry would have confided in her.

A few minutes later Malfoy finished off his letter with the words 'Love Draco'. Hermione let out the weirdest sound her cat body could produce and Malfoy looked to her with concern.

"Are you feeling alright Katrina?" He asked.

After Hermione had let out a normal sounding purr Malfoy put the book, quill and ink safely away. He then folded up the piece of parchment he had written his letter on and placed it carefully on the bedside table before crawling under the bed then emerging with a black and silver box in hand.

Sitting back on the bed, he took out his wand and muttered a spell that unlocked the box. He pulled the lid open and inside was a whole stack of unsent letters all addressed to Harry. He added the letter he'd just written to the pile then shut the lid and locked it again before stowing it away under the bed.

Now Hermione was more confused than ever. It seemed that Malfoy had been writing letters to Harry for a long while but had never sent any of them. He'd simply hidden them away in a box. Did that mean Malfoy had feelings for Harry? Was the reason for Malfoy's taunts and bullying merely a means to disguise his true feelings?

Mind buzzing with unanswered questions, Hermione left Malfoy alone in his room and slipped into Snape's bedroom. When the potions master came in preparing to get ready for bed he also took out his wand to cast a silencing spell on the door.

It was an hour or two later when Snape started screaming that Hermione realised he had cast the spell so as not to wake Malfoy with his nightmares.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	4. A Sugar Mouse

**Disclaimer-And I still don't own Harry Potter *sigh***

**Thanks for reviewing people, and to make things clear to those who asked, YES, Draco IS gay.**

**Chapter 4-A Sugar Mouse **

A week had gone by and Hermione was still stuck in her animagus form. It wasn't horrible living with two Slytherins, she was quite enjoying herself in fact but she didn't want to be a cat forever. However, as hard as she concentrated and as many times as she tried she just couldn't transform back to her human status.

Two nights ago, Snape had been summoned by the dark lord. That night, Malfoy sat on the stairs with Hermione in his arms stroking her back absentmindedly as he waited for Snape to return. The blonde had nodded off several times but Hermione was there to lightly lick his face to wake him up again.

In the early hours of the morning, Snape had returned and though he tried to hide it, it was clear that he was in pain. Wordlessly, Malfoy helped the professor over to the living-room sofa then bustled off to his potions lab to find him a draught to relieve the pain. With a nod of gratitude Snape had accepted the vial and swallowed down the contents.

Hermione sat beside him on the sofa, her big cat eyes surveying him with concern.

"Silly Kat." He had said tiredly as he patted her head.

This morning, Dumbledore had paid a visit to Snape's home bringing Tonks and Bill Weasley along with him.

"Draco, Sevvy!" Tonks had greeted excitedly as she tripped out of the fireplace.

The young auror had then flung her arms around her cousin before launching herself at a murderous looking Snape. Dumbledore beamed and his eyes twinkled whilst Bill looked thoroughly amused and Hermione was sure he'd be telling his younger siblings about this meeting as soon as he could.

"Get off me you irritating little nymph." Snape growled as he pushed the witch away.

Tonks seemed completely unbothered by his rudeness and merely smiled before changing her hair from ultra violet to inky black. She then pulled a sneer and gave her best Snape impersonation which Hermione found highly entertaining. She wondered how Tonks got away with it. If someone else dared do such a thing she was certain Snape would hex them faster than they could blink.

"I received your owl Severus." Dumbledore said. "What can you tell us about the meeting?"

"Very little." Snape replied as Tonks skipped into the kitchen to make herself some tea. "It would seem that Miss Granger did in fact escape a group of death eaters."

"That's our Hermione." Bill said proudly and Hermione purred hoping the Weasley boy would recognise her.

"She was cornered by Wormtail, Rodolphus Lestrange, Sonny Darkness and Wallace Webster." Snape informed them as Tonks wandered back on burning her tongue when she sipped at her tea.

"What happened?" Bill asked.

"She got away." Snape answered. "I did not hear how. The dark lord was outraged that they could not even manage to capture a muggle-born girl. All four of them were tortured brutally for hours."

"So Hermione's out there somewhere?" Tonks asked. "That's good isn't it?"

"I don't know." Bill replied. "If Hermione was ok she'd have contacted somebody by now."

"Granger's a smart girl." Malfoy spoke up. "She'll be ok wherever she is."

Hermione meowed loudly but the other occupants of the room didn't spare her a glance. They briefly discussed how the search for Hermione was going before moving on to other order matters.

As they were about to leave Hermione became desperate and sank her claws into the side of Bill's leg. He let out a howl of pain and shook Hermione away.

"Bloody cat." He groaned sounding a lot like Ron.

"Well done Katrina." Snape praised with a smirk. "I think I could like you as a pet after all."

Bill glared at his former professor then cast a look of disgust at Hermione before leaving through the floo. Hermione then gazed up at Tonks who looked down at her warily before calling out a cheerful goodbye then following after Bill. Losing hope, Hermione turned to Dumbledore hoping for some form of recognition but the headmaster merely patted her head then withdrew a sugar mouse from his robes and dangled it above her mouth.

Hermione looked highly affronted over being treated like a…well like a cat. She turned her head away from the treat purring in annoyance over the fact that the greatest wizard since Merlin failed to realise she was not really a cat.

When the headmaster was gone Snape headed off to his potions lab locking the door behind him so as not to be disturbed by Malfoy.

"Come on Katrina, let's get some sunshine." Malfoy told her as he made his way out to the back garden with Hermione following behind him.

The back garden was small. There was a little concrete path that ran down the middle of the grass and on the left side of the garden was an umbrella shaped washing line. Looking round in dismay, Malfoy pulled out his wand and transfigured a leaf into a deck chair. He sat down upon it before summoning a book out to him. He caught it in his hands and began to read losing himself in the world of word.

Hermione meanwhile lazed around in the sun. She had hoped to get a tan this summer but she doubted such a thing would happen when she was covered in fur. Stretching out her feline body and letting out a large cat yawn, Hermione fell asleep in the sun.

She was awoken some time later by Malfoy gently rubbing her tummy. She blinked up at him before following him inside. Despite being out in the sun for several hours the Slytherin boy had not tanned. He was still as pale as ever but his hair looked more golden than before.

Lapping at her milk and nibbling at some of her cat food, Hermione wondered why it was she couldn't change back. Transformation had never gone wrong for her before. Over the past few years professor McGonagall had been giving Hermione secret lessons. It was part way through her sixth year when Hermione had successfully changed into a cat. If only Dumbledore had brought McGonagall to Snape's house. The Transfiguration teacher would recognise her pupil instantly.

That fact was a comfort to Hermione. Even if she didn't manage to turn back to a girl before school started at least she could find McGonagall at Hogwarts. Once her teacher realised she was stuck in her animagus form surely she'd find away to help. However, until then it was likely that Hermione would be feasting on tins of cat food and treats and coughing up hairballs.

Later that night, Malfoy was once again writing a letter to Harry before bed. Well, it wasn't really so much a letter. Hermione had decided it was more like a diary entry. As she read what the boy wrote she realised he was merely writing about his day and things that were bothering him. It was as though he was having a one-sided conversation with Harry. Of course, it was evident that Malfoy secretly harboured feelings for Harry. Why else would he sign the parchment with 'Love Draco'?

To begin with, Hermione wasn't sure what to think of the situation but after she had grown used to the idea she found the whole thing quite sweet. She began to think about Harry. What would he have to say if he knew about Malfoy's affections for him? The only person Harry had really shown an interest in had been Cho Chang and that had ended in complete disaster. Was there a chance Harry could be gay?

She tried to imagine Harry and Malfoy together in a romantic sense. At first the idea had seemed ludicrous and she inwardly laughed but the more she thought about it the less ridiculous it seemed. The two would probably look good together. Of course they'd probably fight and bicker all the time. They could barely be in the same room as one another without getting into an argument. Although, that was only when Malfoy acted like an arse, but if he perhaps changed his attitude and behaved at school the way he was behaving now, maybe then something could happen between them.

"How pathetic is it to have a crush on somebody you're supposed to hate?" Malfoy asked as he added his newly finished letter to his box. "I don't even know Harry, not really. Then there's the slightly small problem of him hating my guts. Though I don't know why, I happen to think my guts are very likable."

The blonde ranted on for some time about the boy-who-lived. Half of what he said was insulting to Harry though it wasn't in a nasty way. He was just pointing out Harry's flaws in an oblivious insensitive way that Ron would likely do. But most of what Malfoy said was of his desires for Harry. Eventually, the Slytherin begin to get a little too graphic about his want for the green-eyed boy so Hermione chose that moment to make her way to Snape's room.

As she entered, Snape was standing by his bed with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist whilst he used another to dry his hair. Although Hermione knew it was wrong and deeply inappropriate she couldn't resist staring at his bare torso and lean legs.

However, when Snape made to remove the towel from his hips Hermione respectfully squeezed his eyes shut. She knew that if the positions were reversed that she would be mortified at the thought of someone seeing her naked so it was only fair that she closed her eyes. Besides, she shouldn't be looking or thinking of Snape in such a way. Not only was he so many years older than her but he was her teacher.

That night, Hermione couldn't find sleep as she wriggled around trying to get comfy in her basket.

"Shut up you blasted cat." Snape groaned from the bed.

Hermione stilled but was still uncomfortable. She let out a pitiful mewl before hopping out of her basket and leaping on to Snape's bed. He felt her weight and shot her a disapproving look and shoved her to the bottom end of the bed.

Hermione curled up on top of the quilt settling down to go to sleep but by the time morning came she was snoozing softly at the top of the bed by Snape's pillow.

That was the first night Snape hadn't suffered from a nightmare for as long as he could remember.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	5. Katrina, Keeper of Secrets

**Disclaimer-I'm not J.K, I don't own Harry Potter and I hate people who talk during movies.**

**Thanks so much for all your reviews, I really do appreciate them.**

**Chapter 5-Katrina, Keeper of Secrets **

Hermione had been living with Snape and Malfoy for over a fortnight now. There were only two weeks left until school resumed. That morning at breakfast, an owl arrived with two envelopes clutched in its beak. The owl dropped the letters in front of Malfoy before flying out the window.

Placing his slice of toast down, Malfoy picked up the envelopes and his widened.

"One of these is for Granger." Malfoy said as he looked to Snape with confusion swimming in his storm grey eyes.

"What?" Snape asked as he took the envelope from the blonde haired boy. "Miss Hermione Jane Granger." He read off. "Why would it be sent here?"

Moving away from her cat bowl Hermione purred loudly and wound herself around Snape's ankles hoping he'd get the hint.

"Get off." He snapped at her.

"Well her wand is here." Malfoy pointed out. "Maybe that's why the owl brought it here."

"Yes, yes that must be it." Snape said decisively.

Letting out a frustrated mewl Hermione returned to her breakfast marvelling over the idiocy of the two men. Though she had never particularly liked either of them before this summer she had always admired them for their intelligence. However she now viewed them as complete idiots.

Malfoy opened his letter and a gleaming badge fell out of the envelope along with a short letter.

"I'm head boy." Malfoy announced smugly. "Ha, that'll shock everyone. They all expected it to go to Harry."

"Harry?" Snape echoed questioningly as he raised an eyebrow.

"I meant Potter." Malfoy said quickly. "What does Granger's letter say?"

"She's probably head girl." Snape replied with disinterest as he placed the letter down on the table.

"Of course." Malfoy said. "It couldn't be anyone else. But…what if they don't find her?"

"If Granger isn't found I expect it will go to Padma Patel." Snape answered him. "Now, I'm going out today so I want you to stay inside the house is that understood?"

"Where are you going?" He enquired.

"That's not your concern." Snape told him as he stood up and made his way out of the kitchen. He paused by the door before looking back at Malfoy over his shoulder. "Oh and Draco, congratulations. Your parents will be proud."

"Thanks Sev." Malfoy smiled.

The day was spent with Malfoy lounging around watching television or forcing Hermione to play with a ball of yarn. For some reason, Malfoy seemed to think a cat chasing a ball of string around was thoroughly entertaining. She made a promise to herself then that as soon as she was back to her regular self she would turn Malfoy into a ferret again and force him to run around for her amusement.

By later evening, Snape had still not returned. The worry was evident upon the young Slytherins face and he kept looking in the direction of the door every five minutes as though hoping for the potions master to suddenly step through.

In her cat form, Hermione tried to comfort Malfoy as best as she could. However, she could not deny that she was concerned about Snape's whereabouts too. It was possible that he had been summoned to a death eater meeting, but that thought certainly wasn't a comforting one.

Needing to occupy his mind, Malfoy gathered a quill, ink and parchment from his bedroom and brought it back to the living-room to write another letter to Harry.

The blonde knelt down on the floor and used the coffee table to lean on. Leaping onto the table, Hermione positioned herself so that she had a clear view of everything the Slytherin boy wrote.

_Dear Harry,_

_I received a letter from Hogwarts today. I've been made head boy. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out. _

_Granger still hasn't been found. A letter for her arrived here today though. That's strange isn't it? I don't know why it came here of all places. There isn't long till school starts again. I'm starting to think they'll never find Granger. _

_When we get back to school, I'd like to tell you that I'm sorry about Granger but I won't. I know I won't. I'll say something nasty instead and Weasley will take a swing at me whilst you hold him back and glare at me for being such an asshole._

_I'm worried about Sev. He's been out all day and he's yet to come home. I don't know where he is and I fear something could have happened to him. He didn't tell me where he was going but I think, it sounds silly and I'm probably completely wrong, but I think he may have gone out to look for Granger. _

_I know he says he doesn't care about where she is or what's happened to her but I can tell he's lying. Sev cares about everybody, even you Harry. I mean he does think you're a little brat and he can't stand the sight of you, but he does care. That probably makes no sense but it's true._

_He even cares about the werewolf, Lupin. I know that because he makes the wolfsbane potion for him every month. In fact, Lupin should be coming round tomorrow to pick it up._

_Anyway, I hope you're having a good summer. Wait, that's stupid. Of course you're not having a good summer, one of your best friend's is missing._

_Love Draco_

The blonde let out a sigh then re-read what he had written.

"I will send you a letter one day Harry." Malfoy promised. "I'll just cast a charm so you can't recognise the writing and I won't sign my name."

He then folded the parchment up and took it to his room to place it alongside the other countless letters. There were so many in that box that it ought to be overflowing. It would have been had it been an ordinary box but it was a magical one that would never run out of room.

After Malfoy had made himself a mug of hot chocolate and settled down on the sofa with it, Snape quietly stepped through the door.

"You're still up." He observed.

"I was worried about you." Malfoy admitted. "I didn't want to go to bed till I knew you'd returned safely."

"Don't be such a Hufflepuff." Snape chided.

"You were looking for her." Malfoy said as Snape made to climb the stairs. "Weren't you?"

"I'm afraid I've no idea what you're talking about." Snape replied. "Now drink that down then get yourself to bed."

The dark haired man continued on up the stairs and Hermione waited several minutes to give him time to change into his nightwear before going up after him.

She hopped onto Snape's bed and settled herself comfortably beside him.

"Can you keep a secret Kat?" Snape asked in a whisper. Hermione purred in response. "I was looking for Miss Granger."

That night, Snape slept soundly and nightmare free but Hermione did not sleep at all. She stayed awake all night watching the man slumber.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	6. Hermione's Handbag

**Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, here's a short chapter for ya'll**

**A/N: In the previous chapter it should have said 'Padma Patil' not 'Patel'. **

**Chapter 6-Hermione's Handbag **

Morning came and a beam of sunlight streaked in through the gap in the curtains illuminating Snape's sleeping form. His eyelids were closed and his dark lashes contrasted sharply with his china skin. His mouth was partially open and his chest rose and fell as he breathed.

Unable to resist temptation, Hermione rubbed her furry head against his cheek then gently licked his jaw. He mumbled something incoherent in his sleep before rolling over. Leaving him to sleep, Hermione lightly bounced off the bed then made her way downstairs.

Her bowl of food and milk were both empty so she let out a whine of dismay. Malfoy, who was already up and burning fried eggs and bacon set about refilling her dish of food.

A few minutes later the fire alarm went off and Malfoy took his wand out to silence the noise but he had no idea what to do about the burning food. Luckily, the sound of the alarm had roused Snape from sleep and he was running down the stairs to sort out Malfoy's breakfast disaster.

"It would seem that cookery is not your strong point." Snape drawled as he tossed the brown eggs and black bacon into the bin.

"It looked simple enough when I saw you do it." Malfoy said defensively. "But it's harder than it looks."

"Sit down Draco. I'll make breakfast." Snape told him as he busied himself in the kitchen.

Abandoning her own breakfast, Hermione padded over to Malfoy who was sat at the table and hopped onto his lap. The boy stroked her back absentmindedly as he read the daily prophet. Hermione chose to watch Snape work. It seemed that his talent for potion making aided him in his skill of cooking. She imagined the food he cooked to taste wonderful and she dearly wished she could try some.

"She's been sighted." Malfoy exclaimed suddenly. "Some wizard named John Cummings claims to have spotted Granger wandering the streets of Manchester."

Hermione let out the cat equivalent of a snort of laughter. That piece of news was completely ridiculous, she was nowhere near Manchester.

"Shouldn't we go look for her there?" Malfoy asked.

"I'm sure the order and the ministry are already looking into it." Snape replied before placing a plate of food in front of his house guest.

Pushing the paper aside, Malfoy gently lifted Hermione off his lap and placed her on the floor before taking up his knife and fork. Snape sat opposite the blonde with just a cup of black coffee.

When Malfoy was done with his breakfast he stood up from the table and gently rubbed Hermione's head before announcing that he was going to take a bath. Snape nodded as he cleared the boy's plate away. To Hermione's surprise, Snape cleaned up the muggle way rather than using magic.

Once he was done with his coffee, he moved into the living-room and Hermione followed. Sitting on the sofa, Snape looked at Hermione's wand and handbag that were still situated on the coffee table. He picked up Hermione's bag and held it in his hands for a long while seeming to deliberate whether or not to inspect the contents.

"Let's just keep this between you and me Katrina." Snape said before unzipping the bag then tipping the contents onto the cushion beside him.

First he picked up her red purse and opened it up. He ignored the muggle money and instead slipped out the small photograph she kept in there. It was a picture of her taken during the summer before fifth year. At that point she had still been at her parents' home rather than at Grimmauld Place. She was spread out in her back garden reading a book with Crookshanks curled up beside her.

As Snape examined the photo his lips twitched as though he were about to smile but he didn't. He slid the photo back where it belonged then zipped the purse back up.

Next, his fingers came across her theatre ticket to see The Lion King. Of course, she had never got to see it and she supposed her parents' tickets had also gone to waste.

Snape then picked up her tube of brown lip-gloss. He pursed his lips at the item before setting it aside to open her small compact mirror. He turned the mirror in his hands and placed it in front of Hermione giving her a view of herself in her cat form. He then snapped the mirror shut and placed it down before picking up her small sized hairbrush. He twirled it in his hands then plucked out a few strands of her curly brown hair. He laid the hairs flat on his palm before blowing them off of his hand to flutter down onto the carpet.

He then came to the final item, her small bottle of perfume. Picking it up, he took off the lid then squirted a small amount onto his wrist and sniffed. His lips twitched into a half smile and Hermione could only assume that he approved of the crushed apples and cherry blossom scent.

Placing the lid firmly back on the perfume, Snape stuffed all the items back into the handbag then set it back on the coffee table.

After lunch, the fire roared into life and Remus Lupin stepped carefully out of the grate.

"Good afternoon Severus." He greeted politely.

"Lupin." Snape replied stiffly.

Letting out a loud meow Hermione darted over to Lupin and wrapped herself around the man's legs. He looked down at her with surprise for cats normally ran away from him and not to him.

"Trust my blasted cat to have a fondness for a werewolf." Snape commented dryly.

"Is there any news on Granger?" Malfoy asked. "The paper said she'd been sighted in Manchester."

"Oh…no Draco there hasn't been any luck." Lupin replied distractedly as he looked down at Hermione curiously.

He crouched down so he was level with the feline and studied her carefully. He gently ran his fingers over the brown waves of fur on her head. Purring at him, Hermione looked him directly in the eye pleading for recognition. The honey colour eyed man inhaled deeply before leaning forwards to sniff at Hermione's body.

"Lupin, what on earth are you doing to my cat?" Snape asked obviously annoyed just after summoning the man's wolfsbane potion from his lab.

"Hermione." Lupin whispered and Hermione purred eagerly and nodded her head.

"What?" Snape and Malfoy asked together.

Ignoring them, Lupin stood up and took out his wand. Pointing his wand at the supposed cat, he used the same spell he cast on Wormtail back in third year. Just as Wormtail had been reverted back to his human form, Hermione was restored to her form of a school girl.

Free of fur, tail and whiskers, Hermione stood up and launched her arms around Lupin's neck repeatedly thanking him. Taking her arms back, she slowly turned around to face the two Slytherins.

At first, Malfoy's face was a picture of shock but that quickly morphed into a mixture of anger and horror as he realised that she of all people knew of his feelings for Harry Potter. She then chanced a glance at Snape who looked positively murderous and highly frightening.

"Um…hi." She tried feebly as she kept close to Lupin for protection.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	7. Human Again

**Disclaimer-I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Chapter 7-Human Again **

_Previously: "Um…hi." She tried feebly as she kept close to Lupin for protection._

Before any more could be said, Snape was lunging at Hermione and snaking his fingers around her throat as he slammed her against the wall. Hermione barely had time to be surprised before Lupin was pulling Snape away from her and telling him to calm down.

She brought a hand up to massage her neck and looked down at the carpet. She knew Snape would be angry but she didn't expect him to attack her.

"Severus, she is a girl and your student, you cannot attack her." Lupin scolded.

"We're not in school right now, it doesn't count." Snape snarled.

Luckily for Hermione, Lupin's werewolf strength ensured that he was able to keep Snape away from her.

"Hermione, get your things." Lupin instructed. "Then use the floo to get to headquarters. I'll be along in a minute."

Nodding, Hermione stepped forward and collected her wand, handbag and letter off of the coffee table. Feeling Malfoy's eyes burning into her skin she turned to look at him. She tried to convey without words that she would not reveal his secret but she wasn't sure if he understood.

Casting a brief look to where Snape was struggling in Lupin's strong arms, Hermione quickly made her way upstairs to Snape's bedroom. She looked down at her cat basket before using her wand to shrink it then placed it inside her bag. She knew it was silly but she wanted it.

Turning round she found Malfoy stood in the doorway glaring hard at her.

"Did you enjoy your stay?" He asked snidely. "I bet you can't wait to shout your mouth off to the rest of your dorky Gryffindor friends. Guess what people; Draco Malfoy is a little faggot with a crush on Harry Potter. Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever heard?"

"Malfoy." Hermione sighed gently as she stepped towards him. "I won't tell anyone. Maybe you should tell Harry though."

"Oh please." Malfoy scoffed. "He hates me. Besides, he isn't even gay."

"Well if you let him see the real you things could change." Hermione told him. "You're not the arrogant jerk you pretend to be. I'm sure Harry would really like the real you. I know I do."

"You don't like me Granger." Malfoy drawled. "Nobody likes me."

"I do." Hermione insisted.

"Promise me you won't tell Harry…or anyone." Malfoy pleaded.

"I've already told you I won't tell." Hermione replied. "And…don't tell anyone that I spent part of my summer chasing round a ball of yarn ok?"

"Deal." Malfoy agreed.

Hermione smiled before moving to embrace him but the blonde took a step back.

"I don't hug." He told her.

"Oh, right." Hermione replied. "Fair enough. Goodbye Malfoy."

"Bye Granger." Draco said as she made her way back downstairs.

"I'll just be going then." Hermione said meekly as she passed Snape. "Thank you for looking after me and…I'm…I'm sorry. Um…bye."

She waved a hand in the direction of Snape but only received a deadly glare in response. Taking a pinch of floo powder, Hermione stepped into the fireplace and called out 'number 12 Grimmauld Place.'

Everything began to spin and all her eyes could make out was a multi-coloured blur before she came to a stop and stepped out of the fireplace of number 12. The room was empty so Hermione passed through and timidly entered the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was magically cleaning the dishes with Mr. Weasley and Bill sat at the table discussing a pile of reports and Ginny painting her nails.

"Oh Hermione, hello dear." Mrs. Weasley greeted warmly. "Hermione!" She yelled after fully realising that Hermione was stood completely unharmed in the kitchen.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley." Hermione replied politely before being swept into a suffocating hug by the now sobbing woman.

"What happened to you?" Ginny asked when her mother had finally let her friend go. "We were all so worried about you." She told her as the two girls embraced.

"Long story." Hermione answered as the sounds of footsteps thundering down the stairs could be heard before Harry, Ron and the twins burst through the door.

Upon seeing Hermione alive and well, Harry's face broke into a happy relieved grin and he scooped her into a hug and spun her around. Back on her feet, she faced Ron and they shared a short awkward one-armed hug.

"Glad you're alright Mione." Ron said.

"Thanks." She replied before Fred and George lifted her up onto their shoulders chanting her name over and over. "Ok, ok, put me down. Put me down."

"I'll go and inform Dumbledore." Mr. Weasley smiled before leaving the room.

After he left Lupin entered with a kind smile.

"Remus look, it's Hermione." Mrs. Weasley gushed as she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Yes Molly I know." Lupin laughed. "I found her."

"So what happened?" Bill asked with interest.

"She was staying with Severus." Lupin answered.

"Snape?" Ron asked in a voice of disgust and Hermione frowned at him.

"That can't be right. He never said anything." Mrs. Weasley commented.

"Well, Hermione wasn't exactly herself." Lupin explained. "She was stuck in her animagus form, as a cat."

"Cat?" Bill asked.

"Bill, I'm sorry about your leg." Hermione apologised. "I was just trying to get your attention and I hoped you might realise that it was me so I…well…"

"Dug your claws into my leg." Bill supplied.

"Sorry." Hermione apologised again blushing slightly.

"Forget it." Bill told her with a half-smile. "I'm sorry for not noticing it was you."

"My parents." Hermione spoke up. "I need to see them. They must be worrying so much."

"Of course." Lupin said. "Come, I'll take you to them now."

"You can borrow our car." Fred told him.

Lupin nodded graciously and waited for Hermione to say a few quick goodbyes to her friends before he led her out of the house.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Hermione asked as she strapped herself into the passenger seat of the twins' car. "I mean if it's Fred and George's car anything could happen."

"It's quite safe Hermione." Lupin assured her before starting the ignition.

They drove in a companionable silence and Hermione gazed out the window watching the scenery fly by and mulling over her time spent in the company of Snape and Malfoy. She hoped Snape would have calmed down by the time school started again or she'd no doubt be receiving weekly detentions all year for things as simple as breathing too loudly or too much.

"Remus?" Hermione asked suddenly turning to her former professor.

"Yes Hermione?" He asked briefly flicking his eyes to her before returning his attention to the road.

"When you left, was professor Snape still mad?" She bit her lower lip almost hesitant to receive an answer.

"I'm afraid he was." Lupin told her. "He threw the coffee table across the room and then punched the wall in fury. He fractured his knuckles in doing so but I was able to heal them before I left."

"I never intended to make him mad." Hermione said.

"I know." Lupin replied kindly. "The thing about Severus is that he's a very private man. He always likes to put on a front. He can't abide the thought of anyone seeing him vulnerable. I imagine you saw a different side to the man during your stay, a side Severus does not like to show."

Hermione nodded in understanding. With the way Snape swept the corridors at school like a formidable storm cloud, no-one would even suspect that the man suffered from nightmares or that he held a genuine care for others. She had witnessed things that others could not even begin to imagine.

"He went looking for me." Hermione felt compelled to say and the surprise was clearly evident on the werewolf's face. "He was gone all day and night. When he returned, he told me that he had been out looking for me."

Not knowing how to respond to such information Lupin settled for a kind smile and turned the car stereo on.

By the time they pulled up outside Hermione's parents' house both of them were starving.

"You should come in." Hermione told him. "My mother would be more than happy to make you something to eat."

Together they walked up the drive and Hermione knocked on the door. It was her father who opened it and she greeted him with a smile before being pulled into a tight hug. Her mother came to the door and she let out a squeal and a sob much like Mrs. Weasley had done before throwing her arms around her husband and daughter and placing kisses upon any part of Hermione's face she could reach.

"Mum, dad." She said. "This is Remus Lupin. He's an old teacher of mine. He found me."

"Oh thank you so much you wonderful man." Mrs. Granger gushed placing a kiss upon Lupin's cheek whilst Mr. Granger shook his hand enthusiastically. "You found my baby girl, I can't thank you enough."

They all moved inside the house and took seats in the living room. Crookshanks slinked down the stairs and he jumped upon Hermione's lap and purred in delight obviously pleased to have her back. Hermione's mother was running a hand through her daughter's curls and gazing at her as though she were a precious new born whilst Lupin calmly explained what happened but the Granger's were hardly listening. They were so happy they had their daughter back that they couldn't concentrate on much else.

"Are you hungry sweetheart?" Her mother asked. "I'll make you something to eat. Anything you like. What do you want?"

"Egg and chips will do me mum." Hermione told her. "I've been living on cat food for weeks."

"Would you care for some food Remus?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Thank you but I really should be going." He replied. "The moon will be up soon. Someone will be by to collect the car tomorrow."

With that said he disapparated and Mr. and Mrs. Granger both let out a startled gasp.

After dinner, Hermione bounded upstairs to her bedroom. She resized her cat basket and set it on the floor beside Crookshanks' basket before hopping into the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

Meanwhile, Snape and Malfoy were sat on the sofa together watching the news when Hermione's face appeared on the screen and the newsreader said she had been found.

Seizing the remote control, Snape threw it at the image of Hermione creating a loud smash and making Malfoy jump.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review **

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	8. Back to School

**Disclaimer-If you're actually reading this bit, I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, and I am really sorry about the continued lameness of my chapter titles but they're really hard to make up.**

**Chapter 8-Back to School **

September the 1st arrived and Hermione was all set for her final year of Hogwarts. Dumbledore had taken the liberty of sending her all the books she would need as she had not been able to visit Diagon Alley and collect them herself. The night she had returned home Hermione had opened her Hogwarts letter and found that she had indeed been made head girl. Her badge was currently tucked safely away in her trunk along with her school robes; she would change on the train.

After a quick breakfast with her parents and a last minute check to ensure she'd packed everything, Hermione climbed into the car along with her mum, dad and Crookshanks. They chatted together happily on their journey to London but things were still a little fragmented between them.

It saddened Hermione to realise that her relationship with her parents still wasn't what it had once been but she had begun to accept that things had changed. They loved her just as she loved them and that was enough.

Her father parked the car and Hermione stepped out taking hold of Crookshanks' cage whilst her dad moved round to the boot of the car to take out her luggage.

She linked arms with her mother and they walked up to the train station with Mr. Granger following behind them wheeling Hermione's school trunk.

They made their way to the platform and Hermione hugged them goodbye giving them both a kiss on the cheek before taking her trunk off of her dad and then walking straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

When she passed through the other side she found herself on platform 9 3/4 and the scarlet coloured train, the Hogwarts Express was waiting for her. She looked around for a sight of Harry and the Weasley's but she could find no trace of them. However, a little further down the platform were Snape and Malfoy.

Holding her head high she made her way over to them. Malfoy saw her first and tried to warn her with his eyes that it wasn't a good idea but she ignored him and came to a halt behind Snape.

"Hello professor." She greeted politely.

With a sneer fixed upon his face Snape twisted round to face her.

"Did you have a nice summer?" Hermione asked meekly and Malfoy seemed to wince at her words whilst the vein in Snape's temple began to throb.

He raised his arm and Hermione squinted her eyes shut fearing that he would try to strangle her again. However, he settled his fingers delicately about her throat and she opened her eyes to look at him. On close inspection she saw that there were dark circles under his eyes and his skin looked very sallow. He obviously hadn't been sleeping well since she'd left.

"Forgive me." Snape said and all Hermione could do was swallow and nod.

Snape cocked his head to the side in response and dropped his hand. He then braced a hand on Malfoy's shoulder and told him he'd see him at school before disapparating presumably to somewhere in Hogsmeade so he could then walk up to Hogwarts.

"I'm alive." Hermione breathed with a smile. "Gosh for a moment I really thought he was going to kill me."

"So did I." Malfoy admitted.

"If he had strangled me you'd have stopped him though right?" She asked.

"No, probably not." Malfoy replied bluntly. "All that hero stuff is for Gryffindors."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head before loading her things onto the train and finding herself a compartment. Malfoy followed and took a seat opposite her. She smiled at him as she unlocked Crookshanks' cage and let him out. He stretched out his feline limbs before moving over to introduce himself to Malfoy.

The blonde picked him up and stroked his ginger fur.

"Why don't you have a cat of your own?" Hermione asked him. "You obviously like them."

"Father's allergic to them." He answered. "So, you've kept your promise I hope."

"Of course I have." Hermione replied. "Don't you trust me?"

The Slytherin shrugged in response as he continued to fuss over Crookshanks.

"I suppose Harry and Weasley will be here in a minute or so." Malfoy said. "I ought to leave; I know they won't welcome me."

"No, you should stay." Hermione told him. "Let them get to know the real you. I admit Ron's a stubborn idiot and he'll take a lot of persuading but Harry will give you a chance, I know he will. Besides, we're friends now right?"

"Maybe." Malfoy replied. "Although being friends with a Gryffindor will seriously tarnish my reputation."

"What does that matter?" Hermione asked him. "Your reputation is fake anyway. I've seen enough to know that."

"How did you get stuck as a cat anyway?" Malfoy asked changing the subject.

"I honestly don't know." She answered. "I've been reading all about animagi but I couldn't find anything to explain it. I've never had trouble changing back before. I'll have to ask McGonagall when we get to school."

"You made a really cute cat you know." Malfoy told her. "I think I prefer you as a cat but I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Well let me know when you do." Hermione smiled.

"I really should go now." Malfoy sighed. Hermione opened her mouth to argue but he was already leaving the compartment.

Crookshanks let out a meow of disappointment and moved to settle on Hermione's lap clearly wanting her attention.

A few minutes later the compartment door slid open and Hermione looked up to see Neville struggling to get inside whilst dragging his trunk and keeping a tight hold on his toad Trevor.

"Hi Neville." Hermione smiled as she stood up to help the clumsy boy inside.

"Hi." He replied as he sat down. "I'm glad nothing bad happened to you whilst you were missing. Me and my Gran put up posters of you in our neighbourhood so people could call us in case anybody knew where you were."

"Thank you, that's sweet but I was ok really." She told him. "I had a run in with some death eaters but I managed to get away and professor Snape took care of me."

"Snape?" Neville squeaked. "That must have been so frightening. It scares me to have one potion lesson with him or see him at meal times. I'd die of fear if I had to live with him."

"He's not that bad really." Hermione defended. "And you wouldn't die of fright. You're a lot braver than you think you are. And about me staying with Snape, you can't tell anybody ok."

"Right, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Neville assured her. "So, are you head girl? I bet you're head girl, you're the best witch in the entire school."

"Thanks Neville." Hermione beamed. "And yes, I am head girl."

"What about Harry? Is he head boy?" Neville asked.

"No, actually Draco Malfoy is." Hermione answered.

"Oh." Neville replied his face falling in obvious disappointment.

A few minutes later Harry and Ron bumbled in laughing heartily at something.

"Hi guys." Hermione said as Ron dropped into the seat beside Neville and Harry sat down beside her. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's talking to some of her friends." Harry answered. "She might be along later. So how was your summer Neville?"

The golden trio listened as Neville talked about his fairly quiet summer and then Ron launched into a series of complaints about Fred and George, his mum nagging him to help tidy up as well as homework and other things.

Ron's ramblings of complaint only came to a stop when Luna glided into their compartment looking as though she'd wandered in by accident.

"Hello everyone." Luna greeted in her mysterious dreamy voice as she gazed around at her companions.

The Ravenclaw girl was already dressed in her school uniform and upon her head she wore a wreath of daises, daffodils and red and pink roses.

"I heard you had gone missing." She stated as she sat beside Ron and across from Hermione. "I wasn't worried though. My father told me you were fine. He was confident that you'd merely taken a holiday with the long lost lizards of Lisbon."

"Lizards of Lisbon?" Ron asked obviously trying not to laugh.

"Why yes." Luna answered. "They are very mysterious but powerful creatures. They're an advanced species of the common lizard. It is rumoured that they can even speak Japanese and their tongues have the power to both cause hurt and to heal."

"That's amazing Luna." Harry said politely feigning interest.

"Yes they are quite extraordinary." Luna commented. "I've never had the chance to meet one but my father is sure he spotted one hiding in a rabbit hole one time."

Throughout the train journey, Malfoy kept walking past their compartment. Sometimes he'd pause as though about to enter but ultimately he always carried on by. Hermione was the first to notice followed closely by Neville then Harry. Luna was now reading a copy of the quibbler and seemed unaware of all that was going on around her and Ron was just inobservant.

"What is he doing?" Harry asked when the blonde passed by again.

"He's probably just making sure nobody on the train is causing any trouble." Hermione told him.

"What?" Ron asked in confusion not knowing what they were talking about.

"Malfoy." Harry said. "He keeps walking past and staring in at us. Look, there he is again."

"Stupid ferret." Ron muttered. "I swear if he says anything about me or my family this year I'm going to punch him smack in the face."

"No you will not Ronald Weasley." Hermione told him.

"Yeah mate, he's not worth it." Harry said. "He's just an immature brat who needs to grow up."

"You don't even know him." Hermione defended.

"Oh and you do?" Ron challenged.

"Yes." Hermione answered. "If you must know he was staying at Snape's this summer and I got to see a different side to him, the real him. And it just so happens that I think he's a lovely boy at heart."

"Are we talking about the same Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"Shut up Ronald." Hermione sighed. "We're almost there; I'm going to get changed."

She gathered her school clothes out of her trunk and made her way to the girls' toilets to change. On her way back she came across Malfoy.

"Are you going to talk to him or just pace back and forth staring at him?" Hermione asked.

"Most likely the second." Malfoy answered.

"Boys." Hermione muttered before returning to her compartment.

Harry, Ron and Neville were no longer there. It was only Luna. She supposed the other three had gone to change into their uniforms. Hermione retook her seat and pulled out a book to occupy herself whilst Crookshanks wrapped himself around her ankles to take a short nap.

She had barely finished reading the first paragraph when Malfoy stepped inside.

"I don't suppose it would hurt to sit in here for the rest of the journey." He said. "We are head boy and girl after all; we need to talk about school…things. It's a reasonable excuse."

"Indeed it is." Hermione commended as she placed her book away.

They made small talk as they waited for Harry and the other's to come back, Luna seemingly oblivious to their presence. The Slytherin boy was obviously nervous and was currently stamping his feet on the floor whilst simultaneously slapping his hands on his knees.

When the door opened and Ginny stepped inside Malfoy ceased his movements and sat up straight with his trademark smirk forming onto his features.

"Weaslette." He acknowledged.

"Malfoy." She replied before looking to Hermione quizzically.

"Draco's sitting with us for the remainder of the journey." Hermione told the redhead. "Are you joining us too?"

"Actually, I think I'll go back and sit with my friends." Ginny replied. "Would you like to come too Luna? Um, Luna, hello can you hear me?"

"Oh, hi Ginny. You look very nice today." Luna complimented before standing up and following Ginny down to another part of the train.

"So, I'm Draco now am I?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes." Hermione confirmed. "You're Draco."

"I suppose that means I ought to call you Hermione then." Draco said.

"You should, that's what friends do." Hermione told him.

"I don't have a choice in this friendship thing do I?" Draco asked.

"Nope." Hermione answered with a grin. "I always get my own way."

The blonde laughed lightly before schooling his face into a mask of indifference.

"Draco, relax." Hermione said gently. "I'll protect you from the big bad Gryffindors."

"I am relaxed." Draco lied.

A few seconds later Harry led the way into the compartment with Ron and Neville behind him. His eyes narrowed at Draco but he didn't say anything. Ron on the other hand did.

"What the bloody hell is he doing in here?" Ron demanded to know as he stared down at the blonde.

"Sit down Ronald." Hermione snapped. "You too Neville, Harry."

Neville instantly did as she requested and sat back in his seat clutching Trevor the toad in his sweaty hand. Looking very grumpy, Ron sat beside Neville and glared mutinously at Draco.

Harry remained standing for a few moments before sitting on the other side of Draco.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the train compartment and everybody seemed to be avoiding eye-contact. Letting out an annoyed huff Hermione nudged Draco with her foot trying to encourage him to say something.

"Hermione spent part of her summer eating cat food." Draco blurted out.

"So?" Ron asked. "What did you do? Go to death eater meeting with your father and torture muggles."

"Ronald." Hermione said warningly.

"Look Weasley, just because I'm a Slytherin doesn't mean I'm a death eater." Draco told him.

"Whatever ferret-face." Ron retorted. "You're as evil as they come. You were probably born with the dark mark on your arm."

Draco sneered at the redhead before pulling back his sleeve to expose his unblemished ivory skin.

"See." Draco said as he pulled his sleeves down again. "No dark mark. Satisfied?"

Ron just grumbled something to himself and took to staring out the window.

"Harry, why don't you tell Draco about your chocolate frog card selection?" Hermione suggested and both Harry and Draco cast her an incredulous look. "Ok, why don't you talk about quidditch then? Draco what team do you support?"

Letting out a sigh Draco said who his favourite team were. As it happened his favourite team was also Harry's favourite team. They talked briefly about quidditch but the conversation fizzled out rather quickly. Still, it was a conversation and that was something.

The train came to a stop at Hogsmeade station and Hermione stowed Crookshanks back into his cage as everybody gathered their pets and made their way off the train. Their luggage would be delivered to their dorm rooms.

"Would you like me to carry him?" Draco offered and Hermione thanked him and handed the boy the cage Crookshanks was currently residing in.

She walked alongside the blonde with Harry beside her carrying Hedwig. The three of them climbed into a carriage together but Ron opted to take another. Before the carriage left they were joined by Blaise Zabini. The chocolate skinned boy nodded to them all but otherwise remained silent.

On the short trip up to the castle Hermione tried encouraging Harry and Draco to talk but she didn't have much success. They exchanged a sentence or two but that was all.

As they made their way out of the carriages and up to the castle, Draco handed Crookshanks back to Hermione then he and Blaise disappeared amongst the crowd.

Together, Hermione and Harry made their way up the castle steps reuniting with Ron and Neville on the way. They entered the great hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. As she sat down, Hermione turned her head in the direction of the teachers' table and found Snape's charcoal eyes boring into her.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	9. The Raven

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing guys and girls.**

**Chapter 9-The Raven **

As always, the welcoming feast was delicious and Dumbledore greeted his students warmly and introduced their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, this year they were to have the real Mad Eye Moody, before sending them all off to bed. Hermione and Draco remained behind as the rest of the school population filed out. Dumbledore then led them to their private chambers on the fifth floor. The entrance to their rooms was behind a portrait of a lioness with a snake entwined around her body.

"Your things are already inside." Dumbledore told them happily. "All you have to do is decide on a password."

"How about Katrina?" Draco asked with a laugh.

"If we must." Hermione sighed.

They spoke their new password and bid Dumbledore goodnight before stepping into their new home.

"Wow." Hermione exclaimed as she looked around their new living area.

Their common room was the same size as the Gryffindor common room. Everything in the room was coloured in red, green, silver and gold. Hermione was also delighted to find that they had a generously sized library area on the left and a magnificent bathroom through the door on the right.

"This is amazing." Hermione gushed as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "I love it."

She made her way up the spiral staircase and Draco followed behind her. On the red oak door was a gold plaque that read 'Hermione Granger: Head Girl'. Pushing the door open she stepped inside. Her bedroom was huge and giggling in excitement she ran over to her queen-sized bed and jumped onto the bouncy mattress.

"You're easily excited." Draco commented dryly as he leaned against the wall watching her dart about the room.

"Oh my gosh, I have a walk in closet." Hermione told him.

Draco just rolled his eyes before stepping out, returning to the common room then jogging up the second spiral staircase that lead to his room. His room was very similar to Hermione's except that his was set in the Slytherin colours of silver and green.

As he busied himself with unpacking his things he could still hear Hermione squealing and laughing excitedly.

"Sounds like she's been possessed by Lavender Brown." Draco mumbled to himself before taking out his wand and casting a spell to drown out the sound of her voice. "That's better."

A few moments later the door creaked open and Crookshanks slinked into his room.

"Is she annoying you too?" Draco asked him sympathetically earning a meow in response.

Once Hermione had calmed down she opened her trunk and got to work on unpacking. She placed Crookshanks' cat basket on the floor at the edge of her bed and placed the one she had used as Katrina next to it. By the time she had finished it was past midnight.

Letting out a yawn she stripped off her clothes then slipped into her pyjamas. She then gathered her toiletries and made her way downstairs to use the bathroom and clean her teeth.

Upon returning to her room she realised Crookshanks still hadn't returned to her and guessed he must be with Draco.

She was just planning to climb into bed when she spotted a raven perched outside on the windowsill. She frowned at the bird before magically closing the curtains and blocking the raven from view.

Turning the lights off, she made herself comfortable in her bed and easily fell asleep.

***

The following morning she woke up to the sound of her alarm. Groaning in annoyance she blindly reached to her bedside table and slammed the beeping noise off. Pulling the covers back over her head she tried to return to sleep but a few minutes later Draco strode into her room telling her to get up.

"It's too early." She complained as she draped an arm across her eyes to block out the light.

"Come on Hermione, you never had trouble waking up early when you were a cat." Draco told her.

"Well I'm not a cat anymore so let me sleep." Hermione whined.

"No. You have to get up." Draco insisted. "We have to go to lessons remember. Come on, lots of new things to learn."

"Oh I know it all already." Hermione replied drowsily.

"Granger, don't make me tickle you." Draco retorted.

"I'm not ticklish." Hermione lied.

"Well then you leave me no choice." Draco huffed before jumping onto the bed and straddling her waist as he attacked her with his fingers.

She screamed with laughter and instantly felt wide awake as she tried to force the blonde off of her.

"Ok, ok I'm up." She laughed.

"Good." Draco replied as he moved off of her. "And do something about your hair. I can't walk down to breakfast with you if you look like that."

Hermione just scowled at him as she moved off the bed and took up her brush so she could begin working through her tangled mess of curls. Draco opened the curtains before he left her to get ready. As Hermione turned to the window she saw that another raven was perched outside her window…or was it the same one?

She shooed the bird away before dressing for the school day. After sorting out her hair, brushing her teeth and feeding Crookshanks she and Draco made their way down to the great hall.

They were talking and laughing together as they entered which gave many of the students cause to gossip with one another.

"Oh, they don't look particularly friendly." Hermione commented as she looked over at the Slytherin table. "Maybe you should sit with me."

"Your friends don't look particularly friendly either." Draco pointed out.

Hermione wanted to object but as she gazed at her fellow Gryffindors she couldn't deny the murderous glints in their eyes.

"Perhaps not." Hermione admitted. "You'll be ok though right?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm always ok." He told her before strutting over to the Slytherin table and dropping into a seat between Crabbe and Goyle.

Although many of the Slytherins, Pansy Parkinson in particular, were still glaring daggers at the head boy, none of them seemed to voice their disapproval. Deciding that Draco could indeed live through morning breakfast on his own, Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor table to sit between Harry and Ron.

"You guys have to come and see my room at break." Hermione told them. "Honestly, it's amazing."

"Why are you being so friendly with Malfoy all of a sudden?" Ron asked clearly disgusted by the budding friendship between the two.

"Because he's my friend." Hermione replied as she buttered herself some toast before adding liberal amounts of jam. "Anyway, we're head boy and girl; we'll need to get along."

"But it's Malfoy." Ron said. "The same Malfoy who made our lives hell ever since we first set foot in this castle, the same Malfoy who tried countless times to get Harry expelled and he nearly got Buckbeak executed."

"That was a long time ago." Hermione said reasonably. "Things change, people change. It's time to put the past school rivalry behind us and move on."

"So does that mean you're going to start braiding Pansy Parkinson's hair and borrowing her lipstick now?" Ron asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She retorted as she munched on her toast.

"Well you two have never liked one another." Ron pointed out. "If you're so willing to move on from past school rivalries that must mean you're willing to make friends with her."

"Oh shut up Ronald." Hermione snapped at him.

"Could you two maybe go one morning without biting one another's heads off?" Harry asked.

"Sorry." Hermione and Ron sighed together both rolling their eyes.

As breakfast was drawing to an end McGonagall came along handing out their class schedules. Upon receiving hers Hermione eagerly scanned her timetable and felt her stomach flop when she saw she had Potions with professor Snape first thing.

Two identical groans of dismay sounded from either side of her as Harry and Ron read that they had Potions first as well.

"And it's with the Slytherins." Ron moaned. "I swear, they do it on purpose just to torture me."

"Don't be ridiculous Ron." Hermione said. "If the school wanted to torture you they'd simply cancel quidditch and take all the food away."

"Very funny." Ron commented sarcastically.

"Yes, I thought so." Hermione replied.

"Guys, please, cut it out." Harry asked. "I find it hard to concentrate with a Ron and Hermione are bickering again headache."

"She started it." Ron grumbled.

For Harry's sake Hermione held her tongue and swallowed down any form of retort. She finished off her breakfast and drained her glass of pumpkin juice before getting up to go and collect her school bag from her dorm now that she knew what books she would need for the morning's lessons.

Draco accompanied her and they compared their timetables along the way finding that they shared most of their lessons together. The only subjects they didn't have together was Charms and Herbology.

Once they'd collected their stuff they hurried down to the lower part of the castle where Potions was held.

With each step that took her nearer to Snape's classroom, Hermione's heart began to beat a hundred times faster and a thousand times louder.

"Are you ok?" Draco asked her though he didn't sound overly concerned.

"I'm fine." Hermione told him. "Completely fine…just…terrified."

"Don't worry, Sev won't try and kill you with a room full of witnesses." Draco replied. "He'll probably ask you to wait behind after class so he can kill you privately."

"Thank you, I feel better." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Glad I could help." Draco smirked as they lined up outside the classroom along with their peers.

"Hermione, are you feeling alright?" Harry asked sounding much more caring than Draco had. "You look as though you're about to faint."

"Malfoy what have you done to her?" Ron demanded to know as he shoved the blonde boy in the chest and glared at him accusingly.

"Nothing Weasley." Draco sneered as he shoved the redhead back.

"Stop it the pair of you." Hermione snapped as she stood between the two. "Draco hasn't done anything to me Ron. I'm fine."

"Calm down mate." Harry whispered to Ron as he led him away from Draco.

A minute later, Snape appeared out of the shadows causing Lavender to let out a small yelp. He thrust the classroom door open and ordered them to enter. As Hermione moved past him to enter the room she chanced a glance at his face and he stared back at her and watched her progression to the desk at the back of the classroom.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	10. The Pains of Potions

**Disclaimer-I still don't own the wonder that is Harry Potter**

**Thanks for the reviews people, keep them coming :P**

**Chapter 10-The Pains of Potions **

There was something hypnotising about the way Snape spoke. Hermione wondered how she had failed to notice that fact before. As she listened to the man speak her eyes zoned in on his mouth paying the utmost attention to the way his lips moved. His voice was like poison, melted chocolate, silk, or velvet and all the other known clichés.

Then there were his eyes. Hermione had always believed people's eyes to be the windows to their soul. Professor Snape's eyes were like two black tunnels and Hermione wanted nothing more than to search through them until she found the light. Or maybe she didn't want the light at all; perhaps she wanted to be lost in the darkness forever more.

She watched the death eater turned spy sweep back and forth in front of his desk completely entranced by his flawless movements. Shadows. He moved like the shadows.

He was dressed head to toe in black, the colour sharply contrasting with his china skin. It gave him a corpse-like appearance, vampiric. He looked every bit the description of darkness, he exuded power, danger and everything about him seemed to scream with mystery.

For a brief moment, Snape paused in his lecture and turned his eyes onto Hermione. It was a fleeting look that lasted no longer than a second but to Hermione it felt like time had stopped. The people around her faded from her vision along with the interior of the classroom. In her mind it was just her and Snape with a thick fog hanging in the air clouding around Snape preventing her from getting a proper look.

After what felt like lifetimes, the imaginary mist abated and the students returned along with the classroom furniture.

She felt Harry glancing at her with concern so she sent him a reassuring smile before looking back to the front. A part of her wanted to catch Snape's eye again whilst another part of her wanted to run from the room screaming in fear.

"The ingredients are in the cupboard." Snape told the class. "And the instructions…" He waved his wand. "Are on the board. You have one hour. Begin."

"Hermione what is up with you today?" Harry asked in a whisper as the class began moving towards the stock cupboards to gather their ingredients. "You look all sweaty and flustered."

"I'm fine." Hermione told him as she wiped her brow on the sleeve of her robes. "I'll get the ingredients shall I?"

She moved off of her seat and had to grab hold of the table for support and steady herself as her legs felt weak.

"Sit down." Harry said gently guiding her back into her seat. "I'll get them."

Hermione just nodded as Harry made his way across the classroom and Ron began setting up his cauldron whilst his lab partner, Seamus Finnegan collected their ingredients.

"I really think you should get checked out by Madame Pomfrey you know." Ron said to her as he used his wand to start a fire under the cauldron.

"Honestly I'm fine. There's no need to fuss." She replied.

"Is it…you know?" Ron asked before looking round to check no-one was listening and then whispering. "Is it a girl thing?"

Hermione gave him a baffled look and the redhead blushed slightly before awkwardly gesturing to her crotch area and mouthing the word 'period' as though it was something to be mortally afraid of.

"Ronald I'm fine." Hermione said firmly with a forced smile as Seamus and Harry returned with the ingredients.

Hermione and Harry worked well on their potion together. All Harry had to do was what Hermione told him to. Ron and Seamus weren't having as quite an easy time as their friends and neither boy seemed to know which ingredient was what and whether they'd added the correct amounts of this and that or if they'd stirred the potion the right number of times.

"Hermione, help." Ron begged as his and Seamus' potion started bubbling and gurgling.

"Add the essence of slug then stir counter-clockwise three times." Hermione instructed.

Taking the vial of slug essence, Ron tipped the bottle up watching the gunk splash into the slimy green mixture.

"Not that much." Hermione hissed when Ron had emptied almost half the bottle.

Quickly pulling his hand away, Ron placed the cork back in the flask and placed it on the desk. Seamus took the stirring rod and began stirring it the wrong way.

"Counter-clockwise." Hermione told him almost hysterically.

Groaning Seamus started stirring in the other direction. Through the rest of the hour Hermione gave the boy's directions but their potion was beyond help.

When Snape prowled amongst the desks of his N.E.W.T level students he wore a scowl on his face as he inspected their work. He deemed Draco and Blaise's effort to be a great success and both boy's looked very smug indeed.

As he passed Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott, he merely quirked an eyebrow and pulled a sneer of disapproval. Terry Boot and Padma Patil had done a near perfect job on their potion but Snape only deemed it as 'adequate'.

He pinched the bridge of his nose when he inspected Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil's attempt and made a scathing retort that caused Lavender's bottom lip to tremble and Parvati's eyes to well up.

Next he came to Ron and Seamus' and stared down at the vile concoction they had made.

"Weasley, Finnegan." Snape sneered as he looked between the two seventh year Gryffindors. "Does either one of you care to explain to me what this cauldron contains?"

Ron and Seamus looked at one another nervously neither boy knowing what to say. Instead they stared down at their shoes as their cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Tell me; is either one of you even capable of reading simple instructions off of a blackboard?" Snape asked. "Do you need to borrow Potter's glasses to see the words or are you just stupid incompetent prats?"

"You can't speak to people like that." Hermione objected.

"Hermione, stay out of it." Ron said quietly.

"Defending your little girlfriend Weasley? How sweet." Snape mocked. "Let's see, ten points from Gryffindor for Weasley and Finnegan's pitiful attempt at making an anti-depression potion and another thirty from Miss Granger for speaking without permission."

He glared hard at Hermione as though daring her to retort and she was sorely tempted but Harry gently nudged her with his foot as a warning to keep quiet.

When Hermione bowed her head in submission Snape smirked before taking out his wand and vanishing her and Harry's perfectly made potion.

"You can remake it in your own time Miss Granger." Snape told her. "Return here at four o'clock."

"Sir, that's not fair." Draco spoke up defensively from the front.

"Life's not fair Draco." Snape replied as he stalked towards the front. "The sooner you lot learn that the better. Clear away."

In complete silence, the seventh year students tidied away their equipment and washed their hands at the sinks before sitting back at their desks waiting for further instruction. Predictably, Snape set them a ridiculously long and challenging essay before dismissing them.

"Four o'clock Miss Granger." Snape reminded to her as she neared the door. "Don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Hermione mumbled darkly as she stomped out of the room with Harry and Ron following behind her.

***

For the rest of the day, Hermione was in a rather sour mood and was likely to bite the heads off of anyone who spoke to her. Even Harry and Ron chose to give her some space until she calmed down.

During lunch, Hermione literally stabbed at her food practically torturing the pasta shells and chunks of tuna. A cautious Draco crossed the length of the hall and asked Ginny to move up so he could sit beside the head girl. After sending him an annoyed glare Ginny moved and Draco sat down.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked grouchily.

"Do you treat all your friends like this?" Draco questioned her as he lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh no, you're special." Hermione told him sardonically.

"You shouldn't let Sev get to you." Draco said. "I know he can be difficult and infuriating but don't let it get you down."

"Thanks for sticking up for me." Hermione replied. "It didn't help but it was sweet of you to try."

"Don't mention it." Draco told her. "Seriously…don't. The word 'sweet' really isn't an appropriate adjective for a Malfoy."

"Yeah arrogant sexy git would be much more accurate." Harry commented.

"Sexy huh?" Draco asked with a massive smirk and Harry's face formed into embarrassed confusion as though he himself hadn't realised what he had said. "How perceptive of you Potter. Clearly you're smarter than you look. I'll talk to you later Hermione." He said before getting up and sauntering away.

"Did I really call Malfoy sexy?" Harry asked looking at Hermione.

"Arrogant sexy git was your precise words." Hermione answered.

"You need to get your head tested mate." Ron commented through a mouthful of chicken breast. "First Hermione's acting all funny in Potions now you're going all gay over Malfoy."

"I'm not gay." Harry said. "Hello, I like girls."

"There's nothing wrong with being gay Harry." Hermione told him.

"I never said there was." Harry replied. "I just said that I wasn't."

"Are you sure about that?" Hermione asked him.

"Um…yeah, I think so." He answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so?" Ginny asked with a laugh. "That didn't sound very decisive Harry."

"I'm straight ok." Harry told them. "Look, I'll prove it." He then leaned across the table and pulled Ginny into a kiss.

Ron choked on his food and his eyes bulged out of his head and he quickly shielded his eyes from the sight.

"There, see." Harry said as he pulled back from the younger girl wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as he did so.

"Thank you Harry that was lovely." Ginny told him before turning to Hermione and mouthing the word 'gay'. "With a capital G." She added as she stood up to leave.

"I'm going for a walk." Harry decided looking adorably confused.

"We'll talk later." Hermione called after him.

***

That afternoon when lessons finished, Hermione headed back to her head girl room. She started work on her Ancient Runes translation and casually mentioned to Draco that Ginny believed Harry to be gay. A small glint of hope sparkled in the head boy's storm grey eyes before he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't care.

"Of course you don't." Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I'd better be going if I want to make it to Snape's on time."

"Ok, Hermione, don't get yourself in more trouble." Draco advised. "Just be quiet and do what he tells you. No back chat, no arguments, no dirty looks. Nothing. It isn't worth it."

Hermione nodded before leaving their shared common room and making her way glumly to the potions classroom.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	11. Harry's Sexuality

**Disclaimer-And I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone :D**

**Random fact about me: I didn't learn to read and write properly until I was 8½ years old.**

**Chapter 11-Harry's Sexuality **

When she arrived the door was open but the room was empty. She stepped inside and slid into a seat at the front. The room was chilly this afternoon so she pulled her robes more tightly around her and cast a warming charm on herself to stop her shivering.

Whilst waiting for her professor to appear she drummed her fingers on the table top and looked about the room absentmindedly. Checking her wristwatch, she saw that it was now a quarter past four and Snape was fifteen minutes late.

The man was more than likely late on purpose just to irritate her. Standing up, she moved back over to the door and poked her head out to check the corridors but there was no sign of the Potions master.

Sitting back down she began fiddling with her hair, teasing her brown curls straight and making tiny plaits in her hair then unravelling them again. The next time she checked her watch it was twenty-seven minutes past four.

"Oh this is ridiculous." Hermione proclaimed before crossing over to the store cupboards and selecting the necessary ingredients to make an anti-depression potion.

She carried the items back to her desk and set up her cauldron before getting to work. Potion complete, she filled an empty vial with the mixture and sealed it with a cork. Using a spare piece of parchment that was lying on Snape's desk, Hermione scrawled a quick note explaining that she had arrived on time and that she had made the potion.

After reading her message through she decided it was too sarcastic and it would only get her into trouble again. So she rewrote a fresh message that seemed appropriately polite and placed it alongside her small vial of potion.

The head girl then did a quick tidy up and by the time she left the classroom shutting the door behind her it was around half-past five.

She was nearing the entrance hall and preparing to take the stairs when professor Snape stalked in through the great oak doors. His eyes immediately landed upon her and she came to a stand still under his piercing gaze.

"Professor?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

Ignoring her, he moved around her and headed quickly up the staircase. Hermione hesitated for a split second before hurrying after him. She gripped the banister using it to aid her in her ascent up the stairs. It amazed her just how fast Snape seemed to move. With his midnight black robes billowing out behind him in an unseen wind, it looked as though he were flying.

Feeling a stitch form in her side, Hermione forced herself to carry on moving and Snape was soon on the corridor outside of Dumbledore's office. He mumbled the password quietly so Hermione couldn't hear and the stone gargoyle jumped to life and moved aside to admit him. The man disappeared up the spiral staircase and Hermione sat on the floor leaning against the wall waiting for him to return.

Only one explanation entered Hermione's mind; death eater meeting. It seemed an early time for Voldemort to summon his followers though Hermione thought. She had always assumed that evil meetings, sinister plans and torture sessions took place in the dead of night as opposed to the early evening.

Alone in the corridor she occupied herself by admiring the moving portraits that hung on the wall. Sir Cadogan moved into a landscape painting of the seaside and pulled his sword out challenging Hermione to a duel. Rolling her eyes, she ignored the bumbling knight as he toppled over into the sand.

Just as her buttocks, legs and feet were starting to feel the numb sensation of pins and needles, Snape glided back down the spiral staircase. She stood up to meet him and smoothed out her skirt and robes.

"Go to your dorm room Miss Granger." Snape told her as he swept past.

"But…" Hermione began.

"No buts." Snape called over his shoulder. "Just do as I say."

"Yes sir." Hermione replied with a mock salute that thankfully Snape didn't see.

"He's an interesting gentleman." Dumbledore said as he appeared at Hermione's elbow making her jump in surprise. "Even more so now then he was when he was a young boy. Don't you agree Miss Granger?"

"Yes, he's interesting." Hermione agreed.

"Very intelligent too, I must say." Dumbledore commented as he twiddled his thumbs.

"Intelligent." Hermione echoed. "And infuriating."

Dumbledore chuckled at his pupil's words and his blue eyes twinkled as he surveyed her fondly.

"You know Miss Granger; I've lately been flirting with the idea of dying my beard pink." Dumbledore told her. "What do you think?"

"I'm sure you'd look very dashing with a pink beard sir." Hermione answered as she somehow managed to contain a laugh. "Though I suspect professors Snape and McGonagall would not approve of such a decision."

"That's true." Dumbledore nodded. "But this is not their school and it is not their beard." He winked at her before heading back up to his office.

Once the old wizard had disappeared Hermione let out a small giggle as she pictured how the headmaster would look with a pink beard. The students would probably find such a thing hilarious and tiny professor Flitwick would no doubt be amused. However it was highly likely that McGonagall would have a stroke and Snape's mouth would become so thin it wouldn't be visible and the vein in his temple would probably burst out of his head.

Head full of entertaining thoughts, Hermione made her way down to her common room. When she came to a stop in front of the lioness and snake portrait, she felt something tug on her robes. Looking around her she saw only an empty corridor.

"Harry?" She asked and a moment later her friend's head appeared out of thin air.

"I've been waiting for you." He told her as he fully removed his invisibility cloak.

"And you needed to be invisible for that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Katrina."

The portrait swung open and they stepped through together.

"Wow." Harry breathed as he saw the room. "This really is amazing. And Filch was prowling the corridor; I didn't want him to see me. You know what he's like. He'd give me a detention without any real reason."

"Right well, come and see my room." Hermione said as she led him up to her dorm.

When they entered Crookshanks came over to greet his owner. She stroked his neck fondly before kicking her shoes off, taking off her robes then sitting on her bed with Crookshanks in her lap.

"Am I really gay?" Harry blurted out.

"Only you can know the answer to that." Hermione replied with a smile.

"But Ginny, she thinks I am." Harry said. "Just because I kissed her. Can girls really tell someone's sexuality from a simple kiss?"

"Maybe. I don't know." Hermione shrugged. "I've never really thought about it."

"I had a crush on Cho." Harry pointed out. "And she's a girl. And I always thought Fleur was beautiful."

"That's because she's part veela." Hermione said. "And you also referred to Draco as being sexy."

"Well I didn't mean it the way it came out." Harry groaned. "I just meant that he walks around like he thinks he's sexy and girls…they might not like him but they still find him attractive right? I heard Lavender saying how hot he was. I mean I can tell he's a good-looking guy but that doesn't make me gay does it?"

"No, it doesn't." Hermione told him. "But wanting to have another guy's penis up your asshole or vice versa does make you gay. Is that what you want Harry?"

The green eyed boy blushed considerably.

"Honestly, I've never thought about it." He said.

"Have you thought about being intimate with girls?" Hermione asked gently.

"No." Harry admitted. "With Voldemort in my head half the time it's a little difficult to entertain myself with sexual fantasies."

"Well how did it feel when you were kissing Ginny?" Hermione questioned.

"Um…kind of awkward." Harry confessed. "But that's because I've known her so long and Ron was right beside us so it was weird and…and…"

"And?" Hermione pressed.

"Her breasts were rubbing against me." Harry told her. "It…well…I didn't like it."

Hermione chewed her lower lip thoughtfully before slowly unbuttoning her blouse.

"Hermione, what the hell are you doing?" Harry asked frantically as she slowly revealed her indigo bra. He turned his head away determined not to look at her.

"Harry, I think there's a high chance you are gay." Hermione replied as she fixed her blouse up covering herself. "Most guys would be thrilled to have a girl stripping in front of them."

"But you're not a girl, you're Hermione." Harry said causing her to frown at him. "I don't mean that in a nasty way. It's just…I don't think of you like that because…you're Hermione. My friend Hermione."

"What if Draco started stripping in front of you?" Hermione asked. "Would you avert your eyes then?"

Harry nodded his head but Hermione wasn't convinced.

"Maybe you should experiment a little." Hermione suggested. "Kiss a guy; see if it makes you feel good."

"Hermione, I can't just go around and snog some random guy." Harry said reasonably.

"Well what about Draco?" Hermione asked. "As you said, he is sexy."

"He also hates my guts." Harry replied. "If I tried to kiss him he'd hex me faster than you can say quidditch. Besides, there's no way Draco Malfoy is gay."

"Oh come on Harry." Hermione sighed. "Have you seen how tight his trousers are and how perfect his hair is? And I'm pretty sure he wears clear coloured nail polish to make his nails shine. You know the two of you would look really good together…you with your dark hair, him with his blonde hair…oh and your eyes, green and grey, Slytherin colours."

"What?" Harry blanched. "Why are you even thinking about the idea of me and Malfoy being…gay together? I haven't even decided if I'm gay yet."

"It's not a decision." Hermione remarked. "Either you're gay or you're not. You merely haven't realised your preferences yet."

"Whatever." Harry said. "But come on, I'm Harry Potter. Even if I am gay I'd never be good enough for Malfoy. I mean I'm all messy haired and I wear glasses and I'm scrawny and he's…he's…well he's perfect. The gold hair, the creamy pale skin, the slender physique…that tightly formed ass…"

"You've been staring at Draco's ass?" Hermione laughed.

Letting out a pitiful groan Harry buried his face in the quilt.

"Ok." His muffled voice said. "I'm gay."

"That's wonderful Harry." Hermione told him sounding delighted.

"You could at least pretend to act shocked by my revelation." Harry complained as he lifted his face up.

"Sorry, go on, tell me again." Hermione said.

"Hermione, I'm gay." Harry told her.

"Really?" Hermione asked eyes widening and mouth falling open in shock. "Oh my gosh, I'm so shocked, I had no idea."

"Thank you, that's better." Harry replied. "Ron's going to be ok about it isn't he?"

"Of course he will." Hermione assured him. "I know he's an idiot sometimes but he's still our best friend. Besides, his brother Charlie's bisexual."

"He is?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded. "Oh, that's…nice. My being gay doesn't change our friendship though does it?" He asked.

"Of course not. Why would it?" She replied.

"Well I just mean...well, you're not going to force me to wear make-up or gossip with me about boys or anything like that are you?" He asked her.

"Harry, this changes nothing." Hermione told him. "Seriously though, I do think you and Draco could be great together."

"He might be attractive but that's it." Harry responded. "We hate each other remember."

"At least give him a chance to be your friend." Hermione pleaded. "He's a good person when you get to know him. Please, at least try to make an effort at being friend with him…for me?"

"For you." Harry sighed before saying goodbye to her and taking his leave.

"Oh Crookshanks, I love when I get my own way." Hermione said. "Soon Harry and Draco will be friends…then Harry will start to see Draco in a new light and he'll begin having sexual thoughts about him at night and odd moments through the day. Then whenever Harry sees Draco it'll be as if he's walking in slow motion and Harry's heart will speed up and all he'll be able to think about is Draco Malfoy. Then Harry will announce his love and Draco will confess that he's loved Harry all along and they'll kiss and make love and have a happy gay marriage and children…oh wait, men can't have children…well they could adopt. Or cats, they could have cats. That's almost like having children. Oh I can't wait to be the maid of honour at their wedding."

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	12. Infuriating and Insufferable

**Disclaimer-I do not own the wonder that is Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: I have a toy sorting hat and it ALWAYS puts me in Slytherin **

**Chapter 12-Infuriating and Insufferable **

As Hermione sat down to breakfast between Harry and Neville she looked over at the teacher's table to take a glance at Dumbledore.

"Still white." She commented to herself as she spied his long beard.

"Huh?" Ron asked from across the table, his mouth full of mashed up egg and bacon.

"That's attractive Ronald." Hermione told him sarcastically. "Really attractive."

The redhead blinked at her stupidly before wolfing more food down his mouth.

"Seventeen years old and you still haven't mastered the skill of chewing with your mouth closed." Hermione muttered as she poured herself some cereal.

"So, Transfiguration first thing today." Harry spoke up in order to save an argument between his two best friends.

"Yes I want to speak to McGonagall." Hermione said as she sipped her dandelion juice. "See if she has any idea why I couldn't transform this summer. Oh Harry, look who's just walked in."

Harry looked to the doors of the great hall and found that Draco was casually strutting through making his way to the Slytherin table.

"So?" Harry asked as he dipped his sausage into his egg yolk.

"You promised me you'd make friends with him." Hermione reminded him.

"You what?" Ron asked in horror.

"I promised to try." Harry said.

"But mate, it's Malfoy." Ron grumbled.

"His name's Draco." Hermione told him. "And I want you to make an effort with him too."

"No bloody way." Ron retorted as he picked out a strip of bacon that had gotten stuck between his teeth.

"You're behaving really immaturely do you know that?" Hermione asked him rhetorically.

Ron responded by poking his tongue out at her. She rolled his eyes before returning her attention to her breakfast.

A few minutes later the owls swept in to drop off letters and parcels to their owners. Hedwig also made an appearance to eat some of Harry's breakfast and nip his ear affectionately.

A large barn owl landed in front of Neville with a large package containing all the things he'd forgotten to pack as well as a letter from his grandmother.

***

Upon Hermione's insistence, she Harry and Ron sat with Draco in Transfiguration. Hermione orchestrated it so that Harry and Draco were sat beside each other. She herself sat between Harry and Ron so that the blonde and the redhead were sat furthest away from each other, that way they wouldn't be able to fight or argue as much.

As McGonagall's lessons always required a great deal of attention they didn't have much chance to talk properly but Hermione encouraged Harry and Draco as much as possible. Things were awkward between the two but they were at least being civil. On her other side Ron was grumbling and mumbling nasty comments about Slytherins.

When the lesson ended, Hermione hung back so she could speak to her professor.

"What can I do for you Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked as the other students filed out.

"This summer." Hermione began and McGonagall nodded in understanding.

"I heard all about it." She said. "Professor Snape complains about it constantly when we're in the staff room."

"Oh." Hermione replied not sure how to feel about that piece of information. "Well professor, I was wondering if perhaps you knew the reason why I was unable to change back to my human form."

"I'm afraid I don't." McGonagall told her. "It is possible that your fear and desperation in the situation had an affect on you, or it could be that you'd never transformed outside of Hogwarts before. Perhaps the magic within this castle is a help to you. But I cannot give you a definite answer. Did any of the death eaters manage to hit you with a curse or a hex?"

"No, I changed before they had a chance." Hermione answered.

"Then I'm afraid it's a mystery." McGonagall sighed. "Have you tried transforming since?"

"Oh no, I didn't want to risk it." Hermione said.

"Well try it now." McGonagall told her. "If you can't change back I'll be here to help you."

Nodding, Hermione set her bag on the desk then concentrated. A second later she had successfully morphed into her cat form.

"And now change back." McGonagall instructed.

Concentrating hard, Hermione thought about her human form and in a matter of seconds she was standing tall on human legs again with not a patch of fur in sight.

"I did it." Hermione smiled.

"Indeed." McGonagall replied. "Though why you couldn't do that this summer I have no idea. Now unless there's anything else you'd better hurry on to your next lesson Miss Granger."

"Right, I have Potions." Hermione remembered. "I don't suppose you could write me a note?"

"Of course." McGonagall told her as she took up a quill. "However a note probably won't spare you a deduction of house points or a detention from professor Snape."

"He's still angry with me then." Hermione muttered as she took the note from McGonagall.

"Run along Miss Granger." McGonagall said as she patted Hermione on the shoulder.

Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder Hermione walked at a brisk pace towards the Potions classroom. However, as she got nearer her feet began to slow down of their own accord. A large part of her was very tempted to fake an illness and return to her dorm room and hide away until the lesson was over. Had she been more like Harry and Ron she probably would have done but as it was, she was Hermione Granger and her thirst for knowledge beckoned her towards the door.

She stood outside and timidly knocked on the door before pushing it open to step inside.

"How nice of you to join us Miss Granger." Snape remarked sardonically.

"Sorry I'm late." She replied as she moved towards him handing over the note McGonagall had written for her. "I needed to speak with professor McGonagall."

Snape took the note without reading it and screwed it up between his long pale fingers then dropped it into the bin.

"Sit." Snape ordered and Hermione quickly made her way to her seat. "Ten points from Gryffindor for the head girl's poor punctuality skills."

Taking out her necessary things, Hermione speedily got to work so that she could catch up with the others. Even though she had arrived late to the lesson it seemed to drag on forever. By the time the bell rang signalling break, Hermione felt as though she'd been trapped in the classroom for several days.

Keeping her head low, Hermione tried to walk out the door before Snape could order her to remain behind but she wasn't fast enough. Harry and Ron both gave her looks of sympathy and Draco discreetly gave her hand a comforting squeeze as he passed her.

"Close the door Draco." Snape ordered as the blonde exited the classroom.

As the door creaked shut Hermione suddenly felt as though she had been locked in Azkaban prison with her own personal dementor. Her thoughts then turned to the dreaded dementor's kiss. She shivered at the thought before looking at Snape. A kiss from him didn't seem completely terrifying. Her eyes dropped to his lips before she shook her head to tempt the inappropriate thoughts away.

"Did you want something sir?" Hermione asked him trying to keep her voice polite.

"Tell me, what was so important that you had to have a nice cosy chat with professor McGonagall when you should have been here?" He questioned.

"I just wanted to ask her if she had any idea as to why I was not able to change back to my human form this summer." Hermione answered him. "But she didn't know."

"Come now Miss Granger." Snape replied. "You and I both know the reason why you didn't change back."

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked in complete confusion.

"You were perfectly capable of transforming back if you so wished to." Snape told her. "But being the nosy little brat you are you thought it would be amusing to invade my home and spy on me so that you could then go and share details of my private life with your pathetic little friends."

"Oh that's ridiculous." Hermione exclaimed and Snape's eyes narrowed at her. "I didn't ask you to get me out of that bush, or to take me to the vet, or to invite me into your home. At first I was too scared to change back because I didn't know whether you could be trusted but when Dumbledore came round I tried transforming and it didn't work."

"You lie." Snape spat at her as he invaded her personal space forcing her to back up until her back came into contact with the door. "And if you dare mention anything about this summer to another living soul I will make your life a living hell."

He glared down at her for a while before stepping away and turning his back on her before moving over to his desk.

"Why did you go looking for me?" She asked before she could stop herself.

For a moment Snape froze but he quickly regained his composure and faced her with a sneer.

"It's part of my job." He told her. "I had hoped to find you dead in a ditch somewhere but sadly I'm not that lucky."

"There's no point pretending to be nasty." Hermione replied. "I've already seen the decent person you really are."

"Get out of my sight right now Miss Granger." Snape hissed at her. "Or when your friends come to look for you they'll find your body in pieces."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the threat before pulling the door open and storming out of the room slamming it shut beside her.

"Infuriating man." Hermione muttered darkly under her breath.

"Insufferable girl." Snape whispered to his empty classroom.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	13. The Raven's Prey

**Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**I don't remember the books saying when Hermione's birthday is, I only remember her saying it's in September but I don't recall a date. So I chose the 5****th**** (because that's my birthday lol) but if it's wrong I'm sorry and I'd love to know the actual date if anyone does know.**

**Random fact about me: I have a small birth mark on my stomach**

**Chapter 13-The Raven's Prey **

On September 5th, Hermione woke up with a smile on her face. Kicking off her covers she danced her way over to her full-length mirror to inspect her reflection. Today was her eighteenth birthday. She turned her head from side to side looking at her face from every angle. She didn't look any older than she had the night before nor did she feel different but turning eighteen was still a big thing. Or at least it was in the muggle world.

A soft purr announced Crookshanks' arrival at her feet. She bent down to stroke him and he licked her face. It seemed he knew it was her birthday because he was being extra affectionate.

As she dressed she heard Crookshanks mewling at the window. Looking round she saw the raven outside. She glared at the bird and hastened to cover herself. The raven let out a squawk than took flight. For some reason Hermione felt as though the creature had been invading her privacy, but surely that was an irrational thought, it was only a bird.

Galloping down the spiral staircase she met Draco in their shared common room. He was sat on the green couch with a red cushion on his lap. On the table before him was a bouquet of flowers, box of chocolates, a cuddly teddy and a new book with a silver ribbon wrapped round it.

"Morning." Draco greeted as Crookshanks trotted over to say hello to him.

"Good morning." Hermione replied brightly as she fell into the seat beside the blonde and looked at the array of gifts on the table. "Is this all for me?" She asked looking at him with surprise.

"It is." He confirmed with a nod of his head.

Hermione smiled at him causing him to roll his eyes.

"Don't get all gushy." Draco warned. "None of it's from me. I didn't bother getting you anything. I didn't even know it was your birthday till this stuff arrived for you."

Hermione just smiled even wider at the head boy's words. She knew perfectly well that the gifts were from him. The faint hint of pink on his cheeks was proof of that.

"Well, I love it." Hermione told him as she opened the chocolates and popped one into her mouth. She then offered him one which he eagerly accepted. "I'm very thankful to whoever picked this stuff out for me."

"That's nice." Draco replied. "Just as long as you know that it's not from me."

"Of course not." Hermione smiled as she cuddled the dragon shaped teddy to her chest. That particular gift just screamed Draco, for dragon was the meaning of the boy's name. She then leaned forwards to smell the flowers. They were magical roses. The stems were green with gold thorns and the petals were red with hints of silver round the edges, Gryffindor and Slytherin colours.

After taking her presents up to her room Hermione and Draco headed to the great hall for breakfast. They entered the hall and parted ways. When Hermione reached the Gryffindor table she heard a chorus of Happy Birthdays and Ginny was the first to envelope her in a hug.

Harry took the liberty of piling all her favourite breakfast foods onto her plate and Hermione sat down to eat whilst her housemates offered her a happy birthday and some, like Dean, Seamus and Parvati handed her cards whilst her close friends handed her presents.

Even Neville had given her a birthday card and a small cactus to go in her room. From Ginny she got a pair of earrings, from Ron a selection of bath oils and scented candles and Harry had brought her a silver star shaped necklace. Luna had walked over from the Ravenclaw table to wish Hermione a happy birthday. She also presented the older girl with a friendship bracelet. It was clearly handmade and Hermione fastened it onto her wrist as she thanked the younger girl.

When the owls swooped in with the morning post a few owls landed in front of Hermione. One was a school owl that had delivered all her presents from her parents. Another was Errol, the Weasley's family owl who promptly collapsed after the delivery. Mrs. Weasley had knitted Hermione a soft navy blue cardigan as well as sending her some homemade treats as well as a slightly squashed birthday cake. There was also a box that had been delivered by the Twins' pet owl Trickler.

She had been somewhat hesitant to open the box but she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. She lifted the lid and a blast of Weasley fireworks launched around the hall. The students 'oohed' and 'awwed' at the display. The show finished with a spectacular sparkling proclamation that read 'Happy 18th Birthday Hermione! From Gred and Forge of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.'

"Just leave it to Fred and George to use someone's birthday as an excuse to show off their merchandise." Ginny muttered once the fireworks had died down.

The final owl had dropped off a plain rectangular shaped box. Upon opening it, Hermione found a single raven feather.

"A feather?" Ron asked as he took the box from her and screwed his nose up at it. "Who the hell would send you that?"

"I don't know." Hermione replied uncomfortably as she thought of the raven she kept seeing by her bedroom window for she was now certain it was the same one.

"Hermione?" Harry asked in a concerned voice as he registered the uneasiness on his friend's face.

"Don't worry Harry, it's probably nothing." She told him as she took the box back from Ron and closed the lid on it before sliding it into her school bag. "I don't suppose you could help me take this stuff up to my room before Charms could you?"

Nodding, Harry, Ron and Neville helped Hermione take her things upstairs.

"Nice flowers." Neville complimented as he spotted the roses Hermione had placed in a vase on her desk.

"Thanks." She replied not mentioning that they were from Draco.

She looked out of her bedroom window for a moment as though expecting to see the raven but there was no sign of the winged creature.

***

Her last lesson of the day was Defence Against the Dark Arts with professor Moody. When the lesson was over Hermione stayed behind to talk to him, Ron and Harry waiting with her.

"What is it Granger?" Moody asked gruffly as he took a swig from his hipflask and his magical eye spun around uncontrollably.

"This was delivered to me in the morning post." Hermione explained as she withdrew the box containing the raven feather from her bag. "Nobody's touched the feather yet. I wasn't sure if it was safe. Obviously it's an unusual thing to receive. I don't suppose you could tell me whether it's cursed or not?"

Taking the box from her, Moody pulled out his wand and muttered some spells. Nothing happened so Hermione assumed that was a good thing. Placing his wand aside, Moody cautiously lifted the feather up to his damaged nose and sniffed. As his three students watched, the ex-auror then flicked his tongue out to lick at it.

"Not a single curse." Moody announced finally as he placed the feather back in the box.

"Right…um…thank you." Hermione replied before she and the two boys headed for the door.

"Granger." Moody called to her as his magical eye fixed itself upon her. "It might be worthwhile asking professor McGonagall to have a glance at that."

Hermione nodded in response before leading the way out. The trio walked silently down the corridor for a while until Ron broke the silence by commenting on how mentally unhinged Moody was.

"Are you going to ask McGonagall about that feather?" Harry asked as they began climbing up the first set of stairs.

"I'm not sure yet." Hermione replied. "Probably. Not today though."

"You should come to the common room with us Mione." Ron said. "It's your birthday, come and spend it with the Gryffindors."

"Why don't you come to my common room?" Hermione suggested. "It's bigger and we won't have the disturbance of the younger years and it will be a chance for you to get to know Draco. We should invite Luna as well."

"I don't want to hang out with Malfoy." Ron complained.

"I'm sure Dobby would be delighted to send up some party food." Harry said to Hermione ignoring Ron's complaint.

"We should do it." Hermione said. "It will be fun. Oh but don't invite Lavender and Parvati though."

***

After dinner a small gathering congregated in the head boy and girl's common room. After hearing from Hermione what would be happening that evening, Draco had decided that he didn't want to be the only Slytherin so he had convinced Blaise to attend.

Luna was also there wearing a sparkly dress that changed colour depending on her mood, right now it was blue indicating that she was happy. Ginny had also come along and was sat beside Luna. Neville, Dean and Seamus had also turned up as well as, to Hermione's annoyance, Lavender and Parvati.

Harry had shot her an apologetic look and Hermione had turned her gaze to Ron to find him looking deceptively innocent. She was certain the redhead had deliberately invited Lavender and Parvati along just to irritate her because he didn't want to be in the same room as Draco.

As the group joked and laughed with one another as they stuffed themselves with food and drank butterbeer and firewhiskey, Hermione slowly pulled Harry over towards Draco and Blaise encouraging them to talk.

Seeming to understand Hermione's plan, Blaise silently moved away from Harry and Draco with a smirk on his lips. The dark-skinned boy moved over towards Ginny and Luna instead and the Ravenclaw girl's dress changed to the colour of pink indicating that she was now in a romantic mood.

Seeing that Harry and Draco were successfully interacting without trying to cause harm to one another, Hermione made her way over to Ron so she could keep him distracted thereby ensuring that he wouldn't disrupt any development between the two boys.

A few hours later, when everybody left to return to their common rooms Hermione looked to Draco to find him smiling. She took his arm and pulled him beside her on the sofa begging him to tell her all that had gone on between him and the boy-who-lived.

"We were just talking." Draco replied. "It's no big deal."

"Yes it is." Hermione insisted excitedly. "What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing interesting." He told her. "We were just talking."

"You're blushing." Hermione pointed out. "Why are you blushing? What did Harry say?"

"He told me that…he said I look good when I smile ok." Draco answered. "That's all."

"Oh that is so adorable." Hermione gushed. "He's starting to like you, I can see it."

"No he isn't." Draco sighed. "He was just being nice. That's what you Gryffindors do. Anyway, I'm going to bed, I need my beauty sleep. Good night Hermione. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today."

"Night." Hermione replied as she watched the boy head up to his dorm. "And thank you."

Heading to her own room, Hermione fully intended to change into the new set of pyjamas her parents had sent her but her eyes fell on the box and she changed her mind. Lifting the lid open she took out the raven feather and ran her fingertips along it. With the feather in hand she left the common room heading down towards McGonagall's office.

However, when she neared her head of house's door she changed course and made her way to the dungeons. She arrived at Snape's office that also led to his private living area. She knocked determinedly on the door waiting for permission to enter.

After standing in the corridor for a few minutes she shoved the door open and entered anyway. A quick scan of the office told her that Snape was not there so he must have been in his private chambers. She knocked on that door but once again received no answer so she let herself in.

The potions master was sat in a black leather armchair beside the fire with a glass of what appeared to be red wine in his hand. Though if the rumours about Snape being a vampire were true it could have been blood he was drinking.

Hermione shook the thought away as the man looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't your parents teach you that it's rude to enter someone's room uninvited?" He asked her.

"If you didn't want me here you should have answered my knock and asked me to leave." Hermione replied. "Or just locked the doors but as they were open I assume you were expecting me to show up tonight."

Snape's quirked eyebrow dropped and he lowered his eyes to the liquid in his glass. Hermione sincerely hoped it was wine for if the vampire theory were true it would likely be her blood in his next glass.

"What is it you want Miss Granger?" Snape asked looking up at her again.

Hermione held the feather up as though that answered the question.

"Why was this sent to me this morning?" She asked.

"How would I know?" Snape replied.

"You tell me." Hermione retaliated.

"I have nothing to tell you." He told her smoothly.

Hermione bit down on her lower lip to contain an angry retort.

"Was it sent by you?" She asked him trying to keep her voice steady.

"What reason would I have to send such a thing?" He asked back.

"You didn't answer my question." Hermione pointed out.

"Nor do I intend to." Snape remarked uncaringly.

"Why not?" Hermione snapped at him. "Professor." She added hastily in an attempt to sound more polite.

"I'm waiting for you to answer the question yourself." Snape told her.

Fighting away the urge to scream in annoyance, Hermione turned on her heel and exited the room slamming the door shut behind her.

When she returned to her room she looked over to the window to find the raven hovering outside. She marched over to the window and threw it open and the bird flew inside. Hermione then placed the raven feather back in its box before transforming into a cat. She ran at the bird but it did not flinch at her approach as a normal bird would have done. It didn't even blink an eye when Crookshanks circled it sending a suspicious glare.

Hermione reverted back to her human form and stood with her hands on her hips as she glared down at the raven. Crookshanks let out an angry purr so Hermione calmed him by stroking his fur.

"Go and keep Draco company tonight." She told him and Crookshanks obediently left.

The raven flew up before settling itself on her pillows.

"What do you want you stupid bird?" Hermione asked angrily receiving no answer. "Oh just go away."

The raven ignored her words and simply stared at her from his position on the pillow.

"Fine stay." Hermione sighed. "I don't care."

She took off her shoes and socks before taking off the knitted cardigan Mrs. Weasley had sent her. The raven hadn't moved and Hermione was beginning to feel uncomfortable now but she carried on and pulled off her top. She then unbuckled her belt before stepping out of her jeans now standing only in her underwear.

The raven was still staring at her intently, eyeing her up as though she were his prey.

Feeling a gentle blush spread across her entire body Hermione moved her hands behind her back to unclip her bra. She let it drop to the floor, freeing her generously sized breasts. Her nipples stiffened from the cold of the wind that was blowing in through the still open window. Holding the raven's gaze, Hermione slipped off her knickers before stepping closer to the bed completely nude.

"Have you seen enough yet?" Hermione asked. "Professor Snape."

The raven spread his wings and soared out the window. Hermione instantly run over to close it before pulling the curtains closed. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast and her stomach was fluttering in a most peculiar fashion.

She dressed herself in her pyjamas before putting the light out and climbing into bed feeling flustered and lightheaded. She still wasn't 100% positive but she was pretty certain the raven was in fact professor Snape. If that was true, then Hermione had just stripped naked in front of her teacher.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	14. Sleeping Draught and Polyjuice

**Disclaimer-Still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing, and thank you to LooneyLovey for letting me know that Hermione's real birthday is September 19****th****. **

**Random fact about me: It really irritates me when people add me as a favourite author, favourite all my stories and add them as alerts but don't leave a single review**

**Chapter 14-Sleeping Draughts and Polyjuice **

Since her birthday, Hermione had not been able to look Snape in the eye. To her knowledge, the raven had not made any more appearances outside her bedroom window and she did not dare question the potions master about the mysterious bird. Though her gut instinct told her that the raven was Snape, her mind worked overtime in a pitiful attempt to disprove that theory and provide an alternative answer.

In her potions lessons, Hermione kept her head down and didn't even raise a hand to answer a single question. Whenever Snape swept past her desk like a storm cloud to strike a verbal lightening bolt at her work, she bit her lip refusing to look up at him or make a retort.

Even at meal times Hermione made sure to avoid the older man's eye. Ron and Harry were both unaware of these changes in Hermione's behaviour but Draco noticed them instantly. However, it wasn't until the end of September that he made mention of it.

At first Hermione had tried to deny that anything was different but she had always been too honest a person to ever become an accomplished liar. Eventually she had crumbled under Draco's steel grey gaze and told him all about the raven and her suspicions that it was Snape in animagus form. However she did leave out the fact she took her clothes off in front of the bird that may or may not have been Snape.

"Do you know if he's an animagus or not?" Hermione asked.

"I've no idea." Draco replied. "It never really occurs to me to ask my acquaintances if they have the power to turn into an animal at will."

"Thank you Draco for that much needed sarcasm." Hermione snapped.

"Now who's being sarcastic?" Draco asked causing the head girl to scowl. "I'm sorry Hermione, I really don't know if Sev's an animagus or not. Though if he is I can't imagine why he'd send you one of his feathers as a birthday gift."

"What about hanging around outside my window?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Draco told her. "Anyway, you said yourself you haven't seen that raven since, and you can't be positive that it was the same raven each time you saw it. You're probably over-analyzing the whole thing, it's probably nothing."

"No, it's something." Hermione insisted. "I know it is."

"You need to calm down." Draco replied. "If you keep stressing yourself out you'll wrinkle prematurely. As it is I think I can see a few strands of grey hairs."

"Oh no you can not." Hermione retorted as her hand subconsciously ran through her curls. "And if you ever say such things to me again then you'll wake up with no hair at all."

The smallest of whimpers escaped the Slytherin boy who was renowned for his love of his sleek blonde hair that always seemed to look perfect even when he came inside from the wind and the rain.

"Look, if you like I can talk to Sev." Draco offered. "See if he'll tell me anything."

"Thanks Draco." Hermione told him gratefully with a large smile.

"But don't get your hopes up." Draco warned her. "Sev doesn't easily confide in others. He'll more than likely throw me out of his office for wasting his precious brooding time."

"He does not brood." Hermione defended. "I was with the two of you this summer remember? I saw him smile and I heard him laugh. And I was there when you sat up all night waiting for him to return home."

"That didn't happen." Draco replied with a brief shake of his head. "I'm a Slytherin; I'd never do such a thing."

Hermione just rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly before selecting herself a book from their small library. She was so thankful it was a weekend.

***

When Hermione next saw Draco after he had promised to talk to professor Snape, the blonde cast her a look that she understood to mean Snape had told him nothing.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I tried, I really did but he wouldn't say a word to me. That either means he is the raven or he's got a bad throat infection and he's temporarily lost his voice."

"I knew it. I knew it." Hermione cried. "He's the raven. I should confront him…I'm going to confront him…I should have done this weeks ago."

"Hermione, stop." Draco called to her as he blocked her exit from the room. "Just calm down, take a deep relaxing breath and think this through before you go barging into Sev's private chambers. I'd bet my broomstick he's still mad at you about this summer. This whole raven thing, if it is him…"

"Oh come on Draco, you and I both know that it was him." Hermione interrupted.

"Ok, it's him." Draco agreed. "But this is probably his way of getting even. You've seen him going about his private life so now he's watching you. It's only fair."

"Fair?" Hermione asked shrilly. "Him spying on me is fair? You're such a Slytherin…only a Slytherin would say something like that."

"Hermione please, just stay here until you've calmed down a little." Draco tried to compromise. "If in an hour or so you still want to confront Sev, which will only result in you losing house points and getting a detention, then fine I won't even try to stop you…but for now, just relax. We could play a game of chess or something."

"I hate chess." Hermione groaned. "Ronald always beats me."

"So there's something Hermione Granger can't do?" Draco asked in amusement which resulted in him having to dodge the cushion Hermione hurtled at him. "Alright pussy cat calm down. We can do something other than chess you know. How about we read each others' palms and tea leaves?" He asked knowing that the girl despised Divination.

In the end, the head boy and girl ended up painting one another's nails and Draco took up a brush and comb and tamed Hermione's stubborn curls into submission.

***

After being pampered by Draco, Hermione certainly felt a great deal calmer. The hot chocolate he had made for her had been delicious and was starting to make her feel drowsy. She struggled to keep her eyes open but her eyelids disobeyed the requests of her mind and they fell shut.

She was dimly aware of being lifted up and carried up to her room and placed on the soft mattress of her bed.

"Sorry Herms." Draco sighed as he tucked the quilt covers over her. "But it's for the best. If you'd have gone down to speak to him things would only…"

His voice faded from her consciousness and she gladly snuggled into the inviting warmth of her bed falling into a deep and peaceful sleep.

***

Once Draco had made sure Hermione was indeed asleep he quietly stepped out of the room ignoring the dark looks Crookshanks was shooting him, the same dark looks that would no doubt appear in Hermione's eyes come morning when she realised what he'd done.

Shutting her bedroom door, Draco made his way back to their shared common room then out of the portrait hole. His intention had been to carry on down to Snape's private rooms but the sight of Harry stood in the corridor stopped him.

"It's after hours." Draco pointed out to the other boy. "You shouldn't be here, if you get caught…"

"Well you're not going to tell on me…are you Draco?" Harry asked. "We're friends now right."

"Right." Draco replied trying to work out if the Gryffindor was flirting with him or not. "But look, you need to go to your dormitory."

"I will." Harry answered. "I just wanted to speak to Hermione first."

"Merlin's sake Potter, can't it wait?" Draco asked.

"My name's Harry." He told him. "And it won't take long. Come on let me in."

"Hermione's asleep." Draco said truthfully. "And one thing my father taught me was to never wake a woman from her slumber. Now if you'll excuse me I have to be somewhere so get back to your dorm or as head boy I _will _have to report you."

To Draco's surprise, Harry stepped closer pushing him against the wall and pressing their bodies close together.

"Isn't there another reason why they call it _head _boy?" Harry asked.

Somehow, Draco managed to keep his composure and he stared down at the shorter boy who was smirking at him.

"Fuck off Blaise." Draco snapped as he shoved the other boy away. "You're not funny alright. How did you get your hands on a batch of polyjuice potion anyway?"

"I have my ways." Blaise replied mysteriously with his temporarily borrowed voice.

"Don't fucking tease me like that again." Draco said icily.

"Lighten up. It was only a joke." Blaise told him as he walked down the corridor a few paces behind the blonde.

Draco just shook his head before quickening his pace and stalking off away from the other boy.

Watching him go, Blaise looked down at Harry's hand and smirked as he admired the strand of blonde hair. He should have known that Draco was too smart to fall for the polyjuice guise but with luck when he took some more potion Harry Potter would easily believe that Blaise was Draco.

***

Arriving at his destination, Draco knocked twice upon the door before it magically opened to admit him. He stepped inside and took the seat Snape indicated to him.

"She's asleep." Draco said. "I gave her the draught just as you asked."

"Good." Snape replied.

"Is that all you can say?" Draco asked. "You make me drug my best friend without explaining to me why and all you can say is 'good'?"

"Best friend?" Snape questioned.

"Yes, best friend." Draco replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." Snape answered. "I merely thought you'd have better taste."

"Now you're starting to sound like my father." Draco told him. "Why did you make me put her to sleep? What was the point? She's only going to wake up tomorrow and be really pissed off with me. Sev, please, just tell me what's going on."

"Nothing you need concern yourself with." Snape said.

"That's not an answer." Draco pointed out.

"Now you're starting to sound like Granger." Snape mocked.

"Sev, I know perfectly well that you're the raven she kept seeing." Draco said. "And more importantly, so does she."

"I know." Snape replied. "But it is important that you keep her distracted enough so that she doesn't come to discuss it."

"Why?" Draco demanded to know. "What happened?"

"That is not your business." Snape snapped.

"You can't expect me to run around keeping Hermione out of your way when you won't even give me a reason why." Draco spoke up. "If you want me to help then you need to give me an explanation. Why were you watching her in the first place? Why did you make me give her a sleeping draught tonight? Why are you so determined not to talk to her about it? What harm will it do? She already knows it was you, all she wants is confirmation."

"She spied on me this summer." Snape replied. "I just thought I'd give her a taste of her own medicine."

"Well not only is that pathetic, it's stupid." Draco commented. "Hermione wasn't spying on you. She was stuck in her animagus form."

"So she says." Snape stated snidely. "As for putting her to sleep, that was just an easy way of making sure she didn't come bursting into my room tonight."

Draco kept silent waiting for the older man to say something more but it seemed the potions master had said all he was going to.

Bidding the man a half-hearted goodnight, Draco made his way back to his room. He crawled under his bed and took out his box. He then selected a fresh piece of parchment and began scribing a new letter to Harry. Just like all the rest, it ended up in the box unread and undelivered.

Placing the box safely under his bed again, Draco stripped down to his underwear then made himself comfortable in his large warm bed. He fell asleep thinking about Harry and woke up to find a very angry Hermione beating him around the head with a pillow.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	15. Draco and Draco

**Disclaimer-Another chapter but I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone :D**

**Random fact about me: I have a cute Dobby doll that my sister got me a few years back as a Christmas present**

**Chapter 15-Draco and Draco **

"You…Treacherous…Sneaky…Manipulative…Slytherin…Asshole!" Hermione yelled delivering a blow to Draco's head between each word. "How…Dare…You…Drug…Me?"

"Ow." Draco complained as he tried protecting his face with his arms. "Ow…Ow…Ow…Ow…OWW!"

The blonde managed to get a grip on the pillow and he wrenched it from Hermione's hands. The girl then proceeded to beat him on the chest with her fists.

"Ow…Ouch!" Draco hissed. "Use the pillow, use the pillow." He told her hysterically as he handed it back to her.

Without hesitation, Hermione snatched the pillow off of him and swung it straight into his face. She heard the Slytherin whimper and that seemed to satisfy her enough to drop the pillow and merely take to glaring down at him with her hands on her hips.

"Hermione my dear, it is very kind of you to wake me up but I'll stick with my alarm clock thank you." Draco said.

"You laced my drink with a sleeping draught." Hermione replied accusingly.

"I just thought you could do with a good night's sleep." Draco lied meekly but Hermione wasn't fooled for a second.

"Now Draco, we can do this the easy way." She told him as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. "Or we can do this the hard way."

"Sev made me do it." Draco said quickly.

"What? Why?" Hermione demanded to know.

"Truth be told I'm not entirely sure about that." Draco replied. "He was very cryptic and mysterious when I asked him. He hardly explained anything to me. All he said was the sleeping draught was an easy way of making sure you didn't burst into his rooms to question him about…stuff. If you want proper answers then you should go and wave your wand at him."

"Fine I will." Hermione answered as she turned to leave the room.

"Oh hell." Draco muttered as he lunged after her and grabbed her arm. "I didn't mean that. You should stay here. You know, away from Sev. That's what he's asked me to do…well ordered really…but he wants me to keep you distracted enough so that you don't seek him out."

"Tough." Hermione told him. "I may have been too nervous or too embarrassed to confront him about all this before but the sorting hat didn't put me in Gryffindor for nothing. I'm going to march down to his office and I'm going to force the raven-feathered chicken to explain his actions and answer my questions."

"Herms." Draco called as he jogged to his bedroom door and watched Hermione pause on the spiral staircase. "You might want to get dressed first." He told her. "I mean it's a nice silky nightdress but…it shows off your nipples and your lower bum."

"You're lucky I know you're gay." Hermione said as she flushed lightly. "Otherwise I'd be barbequing Draco junior right now."

Draco's hands flew protectively to his cock as Hermione continued down the stairs before heading to her own dorm to get dressed.

***

Back in Draco's room, Hermione had felt much braver. However, now that she was stood outside Snape's door the thought of barging in and demanding answers seemed much more terrifying. She began to edge away slowly until her back came into contact with the wall on the opposite side.

"Oh this is ridiculous." She muttered to herself before striding back to the door and roughly shoving it open.

Stepping inside Hermione looked about the office quickly before walking to the door that led to the potion master's rooms. She debated with herself for a few short seconds on whether or not she should knock before letting herself inside unannounced.

The armchair by the fire that he had been sat in last time she had entered his private lodgings was empty. A quick glance told her he was not in the lounge area which either meant he was in the bathroom, the bedroom or he was not here at all.

Hermione moved further into the room listening for any hint of sound but there was nothing. She pressed her ear to the door of what she assumed to be the bathroom but she couldn't hear any sounds of water running. Fiddling idly with her star-shaped necklace, the one Harry had given her for her birthday, Hermione climbed the steps that led to Snape's bedroom.

The wooden door had been painted black and Hermione's mind conjured a dungeon-like theme for the interior. She imagined handcuffs and chains dangling from the ceilings and a coffin in place of a bed.

As quietly as she could, Hermione pushed the door open surprised to find that none of the doors had been locked. She stepped cautiously into the room and was shocked at how inviting the room looked.

There was no coffin or chains or any of the other preposterous things she had imagined. The bottom half of the walls were painted sky blue and the upper half was painted magnolia. A few choice photographs hung upon the walls and the blue carpet looked fluffy and soft. Against one wall was a white coloured wardrobe and by the window was a small glass cabinet that was home to an array of potions and a selection of books.

Then there was the large neatly made bed and sleeping soundly in the middle of it was professor Snape. Hermione tiptoed closer to the bed and peered down at the older man's sleeping form. Though there were still dark circles around his eyes he seemed to be in a peaceful slumber right now.

Looking to the bedside table, Hermione saw a pot plant, an alarm clock, Snape's wand and an empty potion vial. She carefully lifted the vial up to her nose and inhaled. Unless she was mistaken, the scent of a dreamless sleep potion lingered around the tube.

Hermione carefully placed the vial back in the position she'd got it before looking down at Snape again. She supposed the man had taken a dreamless sleep potion so he could have one night without the invasion of nightmares.

As the man shifted in his sleep, Hermione's heart stopped and her whole body tensed. When Snape merely moved his head to the side and carried on sleeping the tension left Hermione's body to be replaced with relief. A few strands of black hair had fell across the sleeping man's face contrasting sharply with the china of his skin.

Tenderly, Hermione reached a hand out and brushed the hair off of his face. She then gently stroked the man's cheek with the back of her knuckles and he let out a contented sigh at the feel.

Knowing the man could wake up at any minute, and that he wouldn't be pleased to find her standing over him, Hermione pulled her hand back and crept to the door. She quietly slid out of the room and headed back to the door that led to his office before continuing out of that room and heading to the great hall for breakfast.

As it was a Sunday, most of the Hogwarts population were still at bed. She was one of the few students scattered about the hall eating early. Luna was also awake and she beckoned Hermione over to sit with her at the Ravenclaw table.

The girls ate breakfast together before Hermione found herself agreeing to a walk about the grounds with Luna in search of a fire-breathing caterpillar that she was certain didn't exist.

Their walk about the castle took an unusually long time since Luna insisted on inspecting every patch of earth they came across. As they eventually made their way round to the greenhouses they happened upon Neville who was tending to some of the plants as a favour to professor Sprout.

"Hi Nev." Hermione greeted as she and Luna made their way over to him. "Are the boy's up yet?" She asked referring to Harry and Ron.

"Well Ron was still snoring away when I got up." Neville answered. "But Harry was awake. I think he said something about going to your common room to find you actually."

"You should probably go and see if you can find him." Luna told the older girl. "I'll stay and help Neville with the plants."

"Thanks Luna." Neville smiled.

"Ok, see you later guys." Hermione said as she waved to the other two before heading back to the castle.

On her way up the stairs she was joined by Draco who informed her of how he had just escaped from the clutches of Pansy Parkinson.

"Why don't you just tell her that you're not interested?" Hermione asked torn between amusement and sympathy.

"I have." Draco replied. "I tell her all the time but she just won't listen. She seems to think that I'm going to look at her one day and just magically fall in love with her. I even told her I was gay back in fifth year but it still didn't help matters. Now she's just determined that she can be the girl to convert me to heterosexuality."

Hermione just laughed before linking arms with the head boy.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Draco asked as he looked down at their conjoined arms.

"Yes Draco I forgive you." Hermione told him.

"Good, that's good." Draco said. "No more hitting me around the head with a pillow then."

"No." Hermione agreed. "Well, at least not until you do something to annoy me again."

"Has anyone ever told you how scary you are?" Draco asked her.

"It has been mentioned on occasion." Hermione answered.

"So what happened with Sev?" Draco questioned as they turned round the corridor heading towards their room.

"Oh…nothing." Hermione lied. "I decided against it in the end. I just went to breakfast then hung out with Luna for a while."

She wasn't sure why she was lying to her friend but something kept her from revealing the truth of how she had simply watched the older man sleep for a few moments.

"Katrina." Draco said as they stood before the portrait of the lioness and the snake.

The portrait opened to admit them and they stepped inside to find Harry and Draco kissing passionately on the sofa.

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and she looked from the Draco stood beside her to the Draco straddling Harry's lap.

"What the fuck?" Draco hissed causing the other two boys to pull away from each other and look round.

"Hermione." Harry squeaked as he gently shoved the blonde boy off of him. "Draco?" He asked in confusion as his eyes widened at the sight of a second Draco Malfoy.

"Somebody explain right now." Hermione ordered as she folded her arms across her chest and darted her eyes between the three boys.

"Honestly, I have no idea what's happening right now." Harry told her.

"Blaise, get out." The Draco that had come in with Hermione ordered.

"Chill Draco, it was just a joke." Draco that had been making out with Harry said.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation." Hermione said hotly.

"I'm Draco." Draco said. "And that's Blaise." He informed the two Gryffindors as he pointed to the Draco that was sat down. "He took some polyjuice potion and clearly he has a death wish because he's disobeyed my instruction for him to get out."

"Calm down Draco." Blaise told him. "You need to learn how to take a joke man."

"I said get the fuck out!" Draco screeched looking suddenly murderous.

Taking in the expression on the real Draco's face, Blaise wisely chose to leave. Harry was still sat on the sofa looking rather dumbfounded.

"You can fuck off too Potter." Draco snapped before storming up to his room.

"But…I…I…" Harry stammered not knowing what to say. "Hermione?" He asked looking towards her.

"You'd better go Harry." She told him gently before hurrying up the stairs after Draco.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	16. The Other Side of the Door

**Disclaimer-I'm not J.K Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: Severus Snape's death made me cry more than any other character death in any book I've ever read**

**Chapter 16-The Other Side of the Door **

It didn't take Hermione too long to figure out that one Draco Malfoy was able to throw an incredibly impressive tantrum. He messed up everything in his room, throwing ornaments across the room, tearing pages out of books and shredding his designer clothes.

As Draco stomped around his room creating havoc like an angry fire-breathing dragon, Hermione kept herself close to the relative safety of the wall waiting for the blonde to calm down. After ripping down the curtains, Draco seemed to relax marginally. He then moved about the room repairing all that he had ruined.

"Feel better?" Hermione asked tentatively when the last of the books had been magicked back together.

"No." Draco snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest and his bottom lip jutted out into a pout. "I want to hit things."

"Boys." Hermione muttered as she moved further into the room and transfigured Draco's bedside lamp into a punch bag. She then fished through Draco's wardrobe and pulled out a pair of gloves and transfigured them into a green pair of boxing gloves. "Here, this is a healthy way to unleash your anger."

She helped him fix the gloves on then stood back as Draco punched out his aggression.

When the blonde was worn out he shoved his hands out of the boxing gloves and collapsed backwards onto his soft mattress. Hermione returned the gloves and punch bag to their original state before perching herself on the edge of the Slytherins bed.

"I understand you being angry with Blaise right now." Hermione said. "But you shouldn't be so hard on Harry, it wasn't his fault."

"I know." Draco replied. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less."

"Why did he do it?" Hermione asked as she lay back on the bed beside the blonde. "Blaise, I mean."

"Boredom." Draco answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "He was playing Harry before. I found him in the corridor. It only took me about half a minute to realise it was Blaise fucking around. He probably finds the whole thing hilarious."

"So, he knows how you feel about Harry then?" Hermione asked and Draco nodded.

"The silent types are the ones you have to watch out for." Draco told her. "Those quiet bastards always know everything. They sit and observe everything that goes on around them and they learn things. Blaise probably worked out how I truly felt about Harry before I did. He's a sneaky snake that one."

"Death eater?" Hermione asked.

"No, never." Draco answered confidently. "Blaise prefers to hang around in the shadows and watch all the drama and action; he doesn't like to be a part of it. Besides, he's not evil. He's just a dickhead."

"Well maybe he thought he was helping you." Hermione suggested. "In his own snarky Slytherin way."

"How could Blaise stealing my body for an hour and making out with the boy I'm in love with be considered an act of help?" Draco asked scathingly.

"Well, Harry didn't have to kiss back." Hermione pointed out. "But he did. That must mean he has some form of attraction for you."

"It wasn't me he was kissing though." Draco replied bitterly. "It was Blaise."

"Harry didn't know that until you walked in." Hermione said. "He thought he was kissing you and from what I saw it looked like he was enjoying it."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Draco asked as Crookshanks entered and leapt onto the bed settling herself on the blonde's stomach. "Have you forgiven me then?" Draco asked as he stroked the cat's fur. "He gave me evil looks after I'd slipped you that sleeping potion." He explained upon receiving Hermione's quizzical look.

"I'm going to go find Harry." Hermione told him as she sat up. "I'll talk to him; see what he has to say about all this."

"Oh no please don't." Draco groaned.

As she took in the blonde's big pleading grey puppy-dog eyes and his adorable pout she found herself conceding to his request and staying put rather than seeking out Harry.

"Thanks Herms. You're the best." Draco told her and Hermione smiled at him. "If you tell anyone I said that I'll hex you." He threatened.

"You're such a softie really." Hermione commented as they both petted Crookshanks. "I think it's sweet."

"You would." Draco retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Now, tell me the truth about what happened with Sev because I know you were lying before when you said you'd changed your mind and didn't go."

Hermione let out a sigh before explaining to him how she had entered the man's rooms and found him asleep in his bed.

"I wasn't brave enough to wake him." She said choosing to leave out the detail of how she had brushed the hair out of the professor's face. "So I just left. What?" She asked defensively when she caught Draco's stare at her.

"How?" He asked as he gaped at her as though she was the first person he had ever set eyes on.

"How what?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"How did you get into Sev's rooms?" Draco clarified as he sat up straight surveying her carefully.

"Easy, I opened the door and walked in." Hermione answered. "It's not Arithmancy. Even a troll can manage the basic skill of opening a door and stepping through it."

"Not Sev's door." Draco disagreed. "Do you honestly believe that Severus Snape of all people would just leave his doors unlocked so that anybody was free to wander in?"

"Well…um…" Hermione trailed off feeling a little foolish. "I didn't even consider…wait, if he never leaves his doors unlocked…"

"He doesn't." Draco interjected and Hermione frowned at the interruption. "The only person that is able to access his rooms other than himself is Dumbledore. Even I have to knock in order to be let in."

"Then how was it I was able to enter?" Hermione asked him. "Because I didn't force my way in or disable any wards, I'm telling you I just walked in. No password, no enchantments, nothing."

"But that's not possible." Draco said.

"Well obviously it is." Hermione replied. "Because I did just that. Maybe he forgot to set up his wards last night, he did look pretty tired."

"Sev wouldn't forget." Draco reasoned. "He must have…"

"Must have what?" Hermione asked but Draco didn't respond.

He gently nudged Crookshanks off of him and then headed for the door and hurried down the spiral staircase.

"Draco." Hermione called as she followed after him. "Must have what?"

"Never mind." Draco called back. "You should go and see Harry."

Hermione hurried out of the portrait hole and looked up and down the corridor for Draco but the blonde was nowhere to be seen. She let out a cry of frustration before deciding to take Draco's advice and made her way to the Gryffindor common room in search of Harry.

***

After rapping his knuckles three times upon the door, Draco was permitted entrance. He joined his Potions professor in his office where the older man was working over a bubbling cauldron.

"Did you know Hermione was in your bedroom this morning?" Draco asked bluntly.

"Don't be ridiculous Draco, of course she wasn't." Severus snapped at him as he added three lacewing flies to his mixture.

"Well you wouldn't know, you were asleep." Draco reasoned. "But she was there. She told me so herself."

Severus chose to focus on his work rather than reply.

"Sev, I know there's something you're not telling me." Draco told him.

"Might I remind you Draco that we are at school?" Severus replied. "Therefore it is more appropriate for you to call me professor or sir."

"Yes sir." Draco answered with mock enthusiasm.

"Cut the sarcasm Draco." Severus told him as he began slicing an array of dandelion roots. "And my private life is not your concern. I do not nose in on your personal affairs or enquire after your feelings for Potter so I would be most grateful if you would stay out of my business."

As Severus looked through the steam of the potion over to his student he realised that his previous words had only served to ignite Draco's curiosity further.

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers." Draco said stubbornly as he seated himself in the chair, his jaw set in determination.

"Draco Malfoy if you do not leave my office this instant I will have you paired with Weasley for every single potion lesson until Christmas break." Severus threatened.

The blonde visibly cringed at the thought of working with the bumbling redhead. However, he knew that Severus would hold true to his word so Draco made the smart decision to leave. He paused in the doorway and turned back to face the older man.

"I will find out eventually you know." Draco told him.

"I know." Severus sighed. "But for now I find it much preferable for you to know as little as possible. You already know too much."

"So this _does _have something to do with Hermione then." Draco said smugly.

"Out." Severus snapped throwing a handful of pickled toad eyes at the blonde.

Draco ducked out of the room pulling the door shut behind him.

"Brat." Severus commented affectionately.

***

It was a very confused Harry Potter that Hermione found sat by the fire in the Gryffindor common room with Trevor the toad hopping around his feet.

Ron was beside his best friend trying to get some sense out of him but all he had received so far was a few unintelligible grunts.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she joined them. "Are you ok?"

The green eyed boy blinked up at her before taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyelids before slipping them back onto his face.

"Why don't we go visit Hagrid?" Harry suggested.

"Ok." Ron agreed standing up. "But we're not staying for dinner alright."

"Agreed." Hermione said as Harry led the way out.

The trio made their way down to the game keeper's little cabin and Harry knocked upon the door. They heard Fang barking in delight at their arrival before the half giant pulled the door open.

"Al'rite 'Arry, Ron, 'Ermione." He greeted as he pulled Fang back by his collar to stop the boarhound licking Ron's ears.

"Hello Hagrid." The three students replied in unison as they made their way inside the hut and sat down.

"I was wonderin' when the three of ya would come down to see me." Hagrid commented as he bustled around making tea. "Heard you spent your summer as a cat Mione."

"Yes, part of it." She replied.

"Yeah with professor Snape." Ron laughed. "That must have been torture."

"It was not." Hermione said as she sent the redhead a glare. "Professor Snape treated me very well when I was in my cat form. Certainly a lot nicer than how he treats me as a human. Thank you Hagrid." She added as the bearded man set a large cup of tea in front of her.

"Snape's not all bad Ron." Hagrid spoke up as he sat down heavily in his armchair; the wooden chairs around the table wouldn't support his weight. "He's on our side remember and he plays his part well."

"I still say he's an overgrown bat." Ron mumbled.

"Overgrown raven actually." Hermione commented in a low voice that only Harry heard.

He sent a quizzical look but she shook her head at him and mouthed the word 'later'. He nodded discreetly before asking Hagrid whether he'd come across any new magical creatures.

As Hagrid talked to Harry about the new creatures he had been breeding, Ron helped himself to a rock cake nearly breaking his teeth when he bit into it.

"Mione?" He asked leaning towards the girl when he was sure Harry's attention was fully on the half giant. "What was up with Harry?"

"It's not my place to explain." Hermione replied. "The three of us can talk about it later."

Ron frowned before licking glumly at his rock cake.

***

When the trio left Hagrid's, along with a selection of rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, they took a stroll about the grounds heading for the quidditch pitch.

"First game of the years coming up soon." Ron commented. "Gryffindor verses Ravenclaw. Those brainiacs don't stand a chance."

"You should never underestimate the competition Ron." Hermione told him.

"This is quidditch Mione, it's different." Ron replied. "You don't understand it."

"You fly about on broomsticks in search of the golden snitch whilst trying to score goals with a quaffle whilst a pair of bludgers attack you. What more could there be to understand?" Hermione scoffed.

"Hermione, quidditch is so much more than that." Ron implored. "It's an art form."

"It's a game." Hermione said.

"Before you two start fighting there's something I want to tell you." Harry said.

"Sorry Harry." The other two said together as they followed him to a space under the quidditch stands.

"Ok well, first of all I'm gay." Harry told them.

"We already know that." Hermione replied.

"Could you let me finish?" Harry asked rhetorically and Hermione offered him a meek smile before politely asking him to continue. "Thank you. Now, lately I have been getting to know Draco a bit better. We're almost friends in fact."

"Oh no." Ron groaned looking as though he'd eaten something particularly foul. "If you're going to say what I think you're going to say then I don't want to heat this. I can't hear this."

He covered his ears with his hands still looking as though he was about to vomit.

"Honestly Ronald, don't be so childish." Hermione scolded as she pulled his hands away from his ears. "Clearly Harry has something important to say and as his best friends he deserves our support."

"Fine I'm listening." Ron sighed. "Just say it quickly mate, don't drag it out longer than necessary."

"Ok." Harry nodded. "I think I might fancy Draco."

"That's wonderful Harry." Hermione gushed as she hugged her friend.

"Sorry mate but that's disgusting." Ron commented. "Of all the guys in the school do you really have to have a thing for Malfoy? Why can't you choose a nice guy like…well…anyone who isn't Malfoy?"

"I can't help it mate." Harry shrugged. "I just really like him."

"What about Neville?" Ron asked. "Neville's a sweet boy and he really looks up to you."

"He's straight." Hermione pointed out.

"So?" Ron asked. "I'm sure Harry could convert him. Or what about Terry Boot in Ravenclaw, he's definitely into guys and he's a Ravenclaw so he's smart. He'd be a much better choice. Or maybe you could just go back to girls; Ginny's always had a crush on you."

"Ginny got over Harry years ago." Hermione informed them. "No offense Harry."

"None taken." He replied as he ruffled the back of his hair. "Anyway, I can't stop thinking about Draco."

"Is this a girly talk?" Ron asked looking between the other two. "I think this is a girly talk. I should go somewhere else and have a manly talk. I'll see you at dinner."

"Ronald Weasley get back here." Hermione ordered and Ron immediately returned looking thoroughly miserable. "Now Harry, why don't you just tell Draco how you feel?"

"I might be a Gryffindor but I'm not that brave." Harry answered. "Besides, he's gone back to hating me. You heard how he yelled at me this morning and the way he looked at me."

"Why? What happened this morning?" Ron asked and Harry, with the help of Hermione, explained the kissing Draco who was really Blaise and the real Draco walking in and catching them situation. "I wish I hadn't asked." Ron commented.

"The best thing to do is talk things out with Draco." Hermione advised. "Tell him how you feel."

"Or don't." Ron spoke up. "Like I said before, Terry Boot is a much better choice."

"Shut up Ronald." Hermione told him before they headed back to the castle for dinner.

***

That night, Draco decided to carry out a small test. He crept into Hermione's bedroom and shook her awake. She glared up at him before pulling on her dressing gown, stepping into her slippers and picking up her wand and following him as he instructed her to.

Draco led them to Snape's office and he reached his hand out for the door knob and twisted but nothing happened. He pushed on the door with all of his might but it would not budge.

Stepping back, he pushed Hermione forward and looked at her expectantly.

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing?" She asked him in a whisper.

"I couldn't open the door." Draco told her. "I just want to see if you can."

Hermione twisted the handle and the door opened easily.

"Close it again." Draco ordered and Hermione did as she was told.

He shoved her out of the way and made a second attempt at opening the door but once again he was unsuccessful.

"See if you can open it again." Draco said in a hushed voice.

"I really don't see the point in all this." Hermione commented before moving to the door and easily pushing it open once again.

"Ha, got it." Draco whispered triumphantly before turning up the corridor heading back to their common room.

"Draco, wait." Hermione called as she made to close the door but she froze in horror as she found Snape stood on the other side of the door, black eyes staring down at her.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review **

**Love and Hugs IceQueenRia xxx**


	17. Pigwidgeon

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter, if you think I do then you're an idiot, no offense.**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, sorry about my evil cliffie, I'm quite mean to you all really aren't I lol**

**Random fact about me: I was dancing in my living-room like a total idiot one day and the boy I had a crush on just happened to walk past the window and point in and laugh at me *blushes***

**Chapter 17-Pigwidgeon **

As the potions master continued to stare down at her, Hermione desperately tried to rack her brains for a good sounding excuse but so far nothing useful was entering her mind.

"Miss Granger." Snape acknowledged in a dangerously low voice. "I trust you have a very good explanation as to why you're hovering around my office in the middle of the night."

"Um…um…Ron's owls name is Pigwidgeon." Hermione spluttered at him instantly regretting the decision to say the first thing that came to mind.

"Fascinating as that piece of information is it did not answer my question." Snape replied in that intoxicating voice of his. "Well Miss Granger?" He pressed as he arched an eyebrow. "I'm waiting."

Unable to pull her eyes away from the mans coal coloured orbs, Hermione bit down on her lower lip to ensure no further stupid comments left her mouth until she was sure she could issue a sensible reply.

The professor glared down at his pupil impatiently for taking hold of her arm and pulling her into the room and shutting the door. The sound of the door closing echoed loudly in Hermione's ears and she felt a sense of entrapment.

His pale fingers were still coiled around her upper-arm but Hermione dared not to mention it. He guided her into the wooden chair and stood behind her. His shadow fell across her and though she knew he was still staring at her intently she couldn't find the courage to twist her neck round and face him. Instead she kept her eyes fixed on the desk taking deep breaths that rose as mist before her in the cold dungeon room.

"Draco." Hermione managed to say and at her words Snape swooped round to stand in front of her. "He woke me up." She explained. "He tried to open your door but he couldn't. Then he asked me to open it and…well, it did." She finished in a whisper.

As she looked up to the man's face again she realised his gaze was lingering on her breasts. Looking down at herself she was embarrassed to find that her dressing gown had fallen open meaning that her stiff nipples were clearly visible to her professor through the white silk of her night dress.

Despite the fact he had already seen her naked, Hermione found herself blushing violently. She shyly pulled her robe to cover herself only for Snape to open it again. As his fingers lightly brushed her skin as he reopened the dressing gown Hermione almost forgot how to breathe.

"Tell me." Hermione said in a shaky voice. "Are you the raven?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Snape nodded. His eyes dropped to Hermione's chest again before he forced himself to step a safe distance away from her and look away.

"Why did you spy on me?" Hermione asked.

"Why did _you _spy on _me_?" Snape countered.

"I wasn't spying on you sir." Hermione replied. "And I'd like to point out I always respectfully closed my eyes when you were changing. You however did not repay me the same courtesy. In fact I should report you for your inappropriate behaviour."

"Yes." Snape agreed still not facing her. "You should." He then turned on his heel and met her eyes again. "But you won't."

"But I won't." Hermione admitted with a sigh.

Feeling as though she had regained the ability to move, Hermione stood up from the chair. The length of her nightdress was indecently short and Hermione could feel the cold dungeon air blowing around her privates. She pulled her dressing gown tight around her again, this time for warmth rather than as an act of modesty.

"Don't do that." Snape told her commandingly as he took a step closer. "I want to see you."

The heat in her face threatened to melt her cheeks and Hermione's hammering heart was surely only seconds away from bursting through her chest completely. As Snape circled her she held completely still barely even breathing.

The head of Slytherin house took hold of her dressing gown and slowly slipped it off of her small shoulders before draping it across the back of the chair leaving her stood in just the short white nightdress and her slippers.

She remembered how Draco had informed her that this particular nightdress showed part of her lower bum and that thought added to the embarrassment she was already feeling. But that wasn't the only emotion that was stirring inside of her. There was also a strong sense of desire there, desire for her potions professor.

One of Snape's fingers ghosted over the teen girl's lower bum and Hermione's entire body tensed and a blanket of goose bumps broke out all over her skin.

Stepping up behind her, Snape wrapped an arm around her resting a hand on her flat tummy whilst the other hand took a gentle hold of her chin and tilted her head to the side. Snape then brushed Hermione's curls out of the way so that one side of her pale throat was exposed. As the head girl felt the older man's breath tickling her neck she was once again teased with the thought of Snape being a vampire.

Closing her eyes tight, Hermione expected to feel a sharp bite breaking her skin and drawing blood but it never came. Instead, Snape's lips gently pressed down upon her pulse point and she trembled slightly.

"What are you doing?" She asked him in a whisper.

"I'm being completely foolish." He replied.

"Then I suppose it's up to me to be wise." Hermione said still speaking in a hushed tone. "And it would be wise of me to leave this room right now."

"So leave." Snape told her. "I'll not stop you."

Hermione placed her hand over the one Snape had on her stomach. As soon as her skin touched hers a feeling of warmth spread through her. She swallowed before gently moving Snape's hand and letting it drop to the man's side. She took a step away from him and turned so they were facing each other.

"You look so tired." Hermione observed.

"I'm exhausted." He confessed.

"Your nightmares?" Hermione asked. "What are they about?"

That one question caused Snape's whole demeanour to change. His body went rigid as though someone had cast him under the full body bind. His black irises darkened if that was even possible and his nostrils flared whilst he balled his hands into fists.

"That is not your business." He growled at her as he tossed her dressing gown at her. "You speak of that to no-one do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." Hermione replied truly afraid as Snape took a harsh grip on her arm that would no doubt leave bruises.

As he pulled the door open and through her from the office with such force she crashed to the ground, Hermione remembered exactly why Snape was the most feared professor of Hogwarts. The door slammed shut and out in the corridor Hermione felt the chill air all over again.

Picking herself up off the stone floor she pulled on her dressing gown wincing slightly at the pain from her now grazed knees. She didn't understand Severus Snape one little bit. She was seriously wondering if the man perhaps had split personalities. The person she had witnessed during the summer seemed the complete opposite of the man who had just thrown her out of his office. Both those sides of Snape also seemed entirely different to the gentleman who gazed at her with lust and admiration before stripping her of her robe and kissing her neck. Yet as different as these 'Snape's' seemed to be, Hermione knew that every one of them was part of the singular man.

He unnerved her, scared her, the man downright terrified her and yet at the same time she felt herself yearning to be in the man's presence, to have him look at her, touch her. She was sexually attracted to Snape, that much was obvious, but Hermione was beginning to realise that deeper emotional feelings were also forming and that notion was by far scarier than anything else she'd ever faced.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	18. Sweet Dreams

**Disclaimer-I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: I hate when people ask me for advice because I'm just useless **

**Chapter 18-Sweet Dreams **

The next morning, Monday, Hermione woke up late. She mentally berated herself for sleeping in and quickly bustled around getting ready. There was no time for breakfast so she jogged down to the dungeons hoping she wouldn't be too late.

To her relief, when she turned onto the correct corridor, Snape had just opened the classroom door and the other students were filing in. Hermione walked quickly towards the classroom, Snape's eyes boring into her and her footsteps echoing loudly in her ears. She slipped past the potions master into the room and headed to her seat at the back beside Harry.

The lesson began and Hermione threw herself into her work. Harry quietly asked about her absence at breakfast and she simply replied that she had slept in. He made to ask her something else but she snapped at him to be quiet so she could concentrate.

Hermione and Harry were the first to finish their potion, shortly followed by Draco and Blaise.

As they sat on their stools after clearing up, Harry tried to speak to Hermione again.

"Ssh Harry." She whispered back. "Just be quiet or Snape will give us a detention."

Harry nodded before falling silent and tipped his head back so he could count the tiles on the ceiling in an attempt to occupy himself. He had counted up to sixty-one when Snape dismissed them all.

"Not you Miss Granger." He called out as she made to exit the room.

"But sir, I have a lesson to attend." Hermione pointed out.

"It can wait." Snape replied.

As Draco moved past her Hermione gripped his hand and begged him with her eyes to stay with her. He gave a simple nod before shoving Blaise out of the classroom and snapping the door shut in his face.

"I did not ask you to remain behind Draco." Snape said.

"Tough." Draco retorted stubbornly. "I'm not leaving until Herms does."

"Fine." Snape snapped. "Miss Granger." He said in a calmer tone holding a hand out to her.

Hermione looked down at the hand as though it was a python before tentatively moving closer to her professor. Snape took her bag from her and placed it on the desk before removing the girl's robes and throwing them to Draco.

"Jumper off." Snape instructed.

Looking behind her, Hermione shot Draco a desperate look but the blonde merely gave a nod of encouragement for her to do as Snape said. Sighing in annoyance, Hermione lifted the garment over her head and tossed it to Draco to hold.

"Hold still." Snape said in a tone far gentler than he seemed capable of.

He quickly loosened Hermione's tie before unbuttoning her blouse then pulling one sleeve down. On her arm was a hand-shaped bruise. A Severus Snape hand-shaped bruise.

"Merlin sake Sev, what have you been doing to her?" Draco asked sounding a little angry.

Ignoring the younger Slytherin, Snape produced a bruise healing salve from one of his cabinets. He opened the lid of the tub before dipping his fingers into the mixture. He then lightly worked the salve over Hermione's arm until the bruise faded.

"All done." He told her before sitting at his desk and grading a selection of essay's as though what he had just done was completely natural. "You may leave."

As Hermione seemed too stunned to move, Draco stepped up to her and fixed her shirt. When he pulled the jumper over her head she seemed to snap back to life and she pulled on her robes before picking up her bag and heading out the door with Draco.

"Did that really just happen?" She asked once they were far enough away.

"It did." Draco confirmed. "You know I can always go back and yell at him if you want."

"What for?" Hermione asked.

"For hurting you in the first place." Draco replied.

"I don't think he meant to hurt me." Hermione said. "I asked him a question last night, obviously it was too personal and he got angry and threw me out. I don't think he realised he was gripping my arm so hard."

"Herms, you don't have to defend him when he's being an asshole." Draco told her. "At least he said sorry though."

"What?" Hermione asked wondering if she'd missed something. "I didn't hear him say sorry."

"That's because he didn't actually say it." Draco answered. "At least not with words. The healing salve, that was his way of saying sorry. And believe me that doesn't happen often."

***

At break time, Hermione planned to corner Draco and ask him about the whole door situation but Harry cornered her first and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"Oh Harry, what have you done now?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing." Harry replied sounding offended. "I just wanted your help with something."

"Ok, well since you're dragging me into an empty classroom I'm guessing you don't need help with your homework." Hermione said.

"Well, actually I could use a bit of help with that too but that's not what I wanted to ask." Harry said as he ruffled the back of his hair. "I was wondering if you could…if you could maybe help me make things up to Draco. I know he's pissed about me kissing Blaise, even though it wasn't my fault because I thought I was kissing Draco but…well anyway, I know a simple apology won't be enough for Draco Malfoy but I really don't know what to do. Romance isn't really my area of expertise."

"It's not mine either." Hermione pointed out.

"But you're a girl." Harry said. "And you're good friends with Draco. Surely you can think of something."

Sitting down, Hermione crinkled her forehead in thought for a moment as she tried to think of something. It was true that Draco wouldn't be satisfied with a verbal apology but surely there had to be some way for Harry to fix things with the blonde and get their slowly developing friendship back on track. Hopefully more than friendship if the two boys stopped skirting around each other.

"A letter." Hermione decided eventually as she thought of the secret letter stash Draco had hidden under his bed. "You should write him a letter saying you're sorry and explaining how you really feel."

"A letter?" Harry asked clearly unimpressed. "Come on Hermione, that won't work."

"I think it will." Hermione told him. She wanted to tell him about all the letters Draco wrote to him but never had the courage to send but she had made Draco a promise not to tell anyone and she would keep it.

"Right, a letter then." Harry said though he didn't sound overly enthused. "Can you help me write it?"

"No." Hermione answered. "You have to do it yourself. Just let the words come from the heart."

"From the heart." Harry repeated. "Ok sure, I can do that."

"Great." Hermione smiled as they headed to the door. "But Harry, let me read it over before you send it."

Harry nodded before holding the door open for her.

***

Later that evening, after tending to their head boy and head girl duties, Draco and Hermione sat in their common room together working on homework.

Crookshanks was running around on the carpet chasing a bouncy ball that Draco had charmed to move of its own accord.

After completing an Ancient Runes translation, Hermione set her things aside and turned to face Draco. The blonde was working hard on a Transfiguration assignment and it took him a few paragraphs to realise she was staring at him.

"Is there something wrong with my hair?" He asked concernedly.

"Your hair looks perfect." Hermione assured them.

"Oh thank Merlin." Draco sighed in relief.

Rolling her eyes slightly Hermione sat up straighter before asking him about last night's visit to Snape's door.

"Why could I open it when you couldn't?" Hermione asked him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Draco asked her.

"Clearly not." Hermione huffed beginning to feel irritated. She hated it when other people knew things she didn't.

"He's given you access to his wards." Draco explained. "Just like the wards recognise Sev and Dumbledore and permit them entry, they now recognise you."

Hermione stared hard at the blonde waiting for the humorous conclusion of what had to be a joke.

"That's ridiculous." Hermione said after a while when she realised her friend was being serious. "Snape wouldn't give me access to his rooms. He's not exactly my biggest fan remember."

"Do you have an alternative explanation?" Draco asked with a smug grin because he already knew she had no other answer.

"Why would he add me to his wards?" Hermione questioned.

"You tell me." Draco replied as he set his quill down. "I know that there's something the two of you aren't telling me."

"Honestly Draco, I don't know why he's given me access." Hermione sighed as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Tell me everything that's happened between the two of you since we returned to school." Draco said. "If you tell me I might be able to answer why he's added you."

Hermione flushed slightly and turned her head away. She didn't want people to know what had been happening between herself and Snape. She wasn't even sure what was happening between them. It all seemed wrong somehow and to say it out loud for someone else to hear sounded like a bad idea.

However, Hermione felt she might burst if she didn't tell someone soon. She definitely couldn't tell Ron, he'd freak out and try to beat up Snape or something else equally stupid. She couldn't tell Harry either. Although he wouldn't freak out like Ron he was still likely to do something reckless like confront Snape or go to Dumbledore. Even though Hermione trusted both Luna and Ginny she didn't think either girl would be able to help her in this situation. There was always Neville. Hermione knew he wouldn't judge her or react in a drastic way like Ron and Harry but the poor boy would probably faint at what she had to say.

The only person left to tell was Draco. He was close to her and to Snape so he wouldn't be biased and he'd probably figure things out soon enough anyway.

So, after taking a deep breath Hermione told Draco everything that had happened between her and professor Snape when the two were alone together, however she left out the detail about Snape having nightmares.

When she finished speaking Draco was completely silent. It was obvious that he was shocked at what he'd heard but he was trying to act calm and collect. He stood up and paced back and forth in front of the fire almost stepping on Crookshanks' tail at one point.

"I'm not a seer." Draco said at last as he stared into the flames of the fire rather than look at the head girl. "But I predict a student teacher affair in the near future and I don't foresee it ending well."

"What am I supposed to do?" Hermione asked him. "I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this mess. This isn't something I can learn from a book and without books and knowledge I'm totally out of my depth."

"Are you scared?" He asked her as he slowly twisted round to face her.

"I'm terrified." She admitted. "But I'm not really sure what it is I'm terrified of."

"You like him." Draco answered. "That's what you're so afraid of. I felt that way when I first began to realise my feelings for Harry. In fact I still feel that way."

"I don't know." Hermione replied as she lay down on the couch. "I'm not sure it's my feelings that I'm afraid of. I think I'm more scared of his."

"He's attracted to you." Draco told her. "I suppose you've already worked that out. But I can see that he cares for you. This summer, when we thought you were missing, he went out looking for you."

"I know." Hermione said. "He told me. Well, he told Katrina anyway. But I don't understand. If he is developing feelings for me, shouldn't he be trying to shut me out rather than giving me access to his wards."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be alone anymore." Draco suggested.

Sighing, Hermione sat up and rubbed her temples feeling a headache coming on. She packed away all of her things and took them up to her bedroom.

Deciding a luxurious bubble bath would help her relax; Hermione grabbed a towel then made her way to the bath room.

Whilst Hermione was bathing, Draco headed down to Snape's office and knocked on the door. The tall dark haired man answered it and looked down at his pupil.

"She told you." He guessed correctly and Draco nodded before inviting himself inside.

Closing the door, Severus stood facing Draco expectantly waiting for the blonde to speak. There were many things that Draco wanted to say but he wasn't able to give voice to any of his concerns or opinions.

"Just don't hurt her." Draco eventually said before leaving the office.

"I fear I already have." Severus whispered to himself once Draco had left.

***

That night, Severus transfigured into his raven form. He flew up to Hermione's window. It was closed but that didn't stop Severus, he still managed to find a way in. He settled his human feet onto her carpet before approaching her bed.

Hermione was sleeping soundly with her brown curls sprayed across the pillow. The quilt was pulled up to her waist and Severus saw that she wore a Slytherin green night dress. He admired her sleeping form finding her enchantingly beautiful.

For some reason, watching the girl sleep made him realise how exhausted he was. Knowing that if he returned to his own room he'd be plagued by nightmares, he stripped down to his boxers and vest top before slipping into the bed beside her.

Feeling the man's presence, the sleeping Hermione shifted so that she was settled comfortably in his arms. He watched her sleep for a few minutes more before drifting into a peaceful slumber himself.

When Hermione awoke the next morning, there was no visible sign that Severus had been there.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	19. Gryffindor Verses Ravenclaw

**Disclaimer-Nope, I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**Several people who reviewed the previous chapter used the word 'disturbing'. Seriously people, if the idea of intimate situations between Snape and Hermione disturb you then you probably shouldn't read a romance fic about them.**

**Random fact about me: I love stroking other people's hair but hate other people touching mine**

**Chapter 19-Gryffindor Verses Ravenclaw**

It was a few days later when Harry showed Hermione the letter he had written for Draco. Sat in a secluded corner of the library, Hermione read the letter over whilst sat nervously opposite her awaiting her verdict and Ron whispered to Harry about how good a couple Harry and Terry Boot would make.

Upon reading the letter Hermione found that it was very well written which immediately made her suspicious. Setting the parchment down she leaned her elbows on the table and leaned closer to the bespectacled boy.

"Who helped you write it?" She asked.

"Um…Ginny." Harry admitted sheepishly.

Hermione shook her head at the boy before ripping the letter up in front of him.

"I told you Harry, you have to write this letter yourself." Hermione said.

"Or if you ask out Terry Boot instead you won't have to write a letter at all." Ron spoke up causing Hermione to scowl at him.

"I think I'll just try talking to him instead." Harry told them before getting up and leaving the library.

"He really likes Malfoy doesn't he?" Ron asked Hermione as though he was realising for the first time just how deeply Harry felt.

"Draco." Hermione corrected. "And yes he does. So if the two of them work things out I expect you to be supportive and that means making an effort to be nice to Draco."

Ron nodded though he didn't look thrilled about the idea. His stomach then gave a large rumble.

"Fancy stealing some food from the kitchens?" Ron asked her.

"Honestly Ron, we've just had dinner." Hermione sighed. "If only you studied as much as you eat."

"Don't lecture me about studying Mione." Ron begged. "I'm just really hungry so are you going to come to the kitchens with me or not?"

"Fine. Someone has to keep you out of trouble I suppose." Hermione agreed and the two left the library together.

They reached the entrance to the kitchens and Ron tickled the pear which turned into a handle. As they stepped inside a house-elf immediately appeared at their side eager to service them. The two Gryffindors sat down at the table in the corner and Ron happily helped himself to cakes and cookies whilst Hermione sipped on a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Should you really be eating all of that?" Hermione asked him. "You have quidditch tomorrow."

"So." Ron shrugged as cookie crumbs sprayed out of his mouth and a dollop of cream dropped from his chin to his shirt.

***

The following morning, the whole school gathered at the quidditch stands to watch the match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Hermione sat down next to Neville and they cheered as the Gryffindor team strode out onto the pitch.

After the two team captains shook hands, Madame Hooch blew her whistle and both teams soared into the air, Harry flying higher and faster than any of them.

As one of the Ravenclaw chasers gained control of the quaffle and zoomed towards Ron, Hermione crossed her fingers for him hoping he'd be able to prevent the chaser from scoring. The redhead flew to the left and Hermione buried her face in Neville's shoulder unable to look.

"He caught it!" Neville told her excitedly over all the cheers from their fellow Gryffindors.

Relieved, Hermione pulled her face back up and smiled at Ron proudly.

Throughout the game, across the pitch in the teacher's stands, professor Snape was glaring daggers at Neville every time Hermione squeezed his hand for comfort or hugged him in celebration.

"Are you not enjoying the game Severus?" Dumbledore asked from beside him.

"I'm having the time of my life." He retorted sarcastically.

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore said and Severus' insides spasmed with panic but outwardly he looked composed. "She is rather pretty don't you think?"

"Pretty annoying." Severus replied.

"Annoying, how so?" Dumbledore asked with interest as the students erupted in noise as Ginny scored a goal.

"Do excuse me Albus." Severus said in his polite voice that meant he was tempted to strangle someone. "I've a potion I need to attend to."

Severus made his way out of the stands heading back up to the school.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry had made a spectacular dive and caught the golden snitch winning the game for Gryffindor.

As the team headed to the showers to wash off and change their clothes, Dean and Seamus took a trip to the kitchens to collect some food and drink so they could have a celebratory party in the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione accompanied Neville back to Gryffindor tower and they waited for the team to enter. As they made their entrance the rest of the Gryffindor burst into cheers and congratulated their house mates on their victory.

Fighting her way through the crowd, Hermione reached Ginny and gave her a hug before moving over to Harry.

"Well done." She told him and he grinned in response as he took up a butter beer. "Where's Ron?" She asked.

Harry pointed the tall redhead out and Hermione fought her way to his side and hugged him from behind.

"Good job Ron." Hermione smiled. "You played brilliantly."

"Nice one mate." Dean said clapping Ron on the back.

A second later, Seamus jumped onto a chair and started off a chorus of 'Weasley is our king'.

Ron grinned happily enjoying all the attention. He placed an arm around Hermione and before the girl could register what was happening he was pressing his lips to hers. Hermione froze for a second before kissing back. She didn't know what else she could do. If she had pushed him away from her in public Ron would be mortified so she allowed the kiss but she would certainly have to talk with him in private.

"That's right Ron, get in there!" Seamus yelled encouragingly.

Finally Ron broke the kiss and he smiled down at Hermione. She smiled back awkwardly and somehow ended up being pinned to Ron's side throughout the remainder of the party. She didn't even know why they were having the party straight after the game anyway, it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

However, when lunchtime did come about the party broke up and the Gryffindors began making their way down to the great hall.

"Ronald." Hermione began once everyone but Harry and Ginny had left.

"Yeah?" He asked as he carded his fingers through her hair.

Feeling deeply uncomfortable Hermione stepped away from him and sent a pointed look at Ginny.

"Come on Harry." Ginny said taking hold of the older boy's arm. "There's some quidditch tactics I want to discuss with you."

Ginny led Harry away leaving Ron and Hermione completely alone.

"So listen." Ron said before Hermione could get a word in edgeways. "There's a visit to Hogsmeade this weekend. Maybe you and I could go together, you know…on a date."

Hermione chewed her lower lip and shook her head softly.

"I'm sorry Ron." She apologised and the tips of Ron's ears began to turn red and his shoulders slumped dejectedly. "It's just, you're my friend…I don't see you as anything else."

"Then why the bloody hell did you kiss back?" Ron asked her obviously embarrassed.

"You put me on the spot." Hermione replied defensively. "Everybody was watching. I couldn't reject you in front of everyone."

"Whatever." Ron grumbled childishly before stomping towards the stairs that led to the boys' dorms.

"Ron, don't be like that." Hermione pleaded. "Let's just go to lunch, we can forget about the whole thing."

"I'm not hungry." Ron retorted and a few seconds later Hermione heard the slamming of a door.

Sighing heavily, Hermione turned and left the common room. Her first intention was to proceed on down to the great hall but she found she had no appetite. She made her way to her common room where she lounged on the sofa reading a book.

When Draco returned from lunch he bounded over to her asking if it was true that and Ron were dating.

"No, who said that?" She asked.

"Everyone's saying it." Draco informed her. "That Brown girl announced to the entire hall that the two of you were making out. Sev took ten house points from her when she said that."

Hermione groaned and pulled a cushion over her face as though that would block out all of her problems. She then explained to Draco what had really happened, her voice slightly muffled by the cushion.

"He's really upset." Hermione said referring to Ron. "It's going to be ages until he talks to me again."

"So?" Draco shrugged. "It's only Weasley."

"Thanks Draco, I feel better." Hermione muttered sarcastically.

"Glad I could help." He replied as he patted her on the back.

"Do you think I should talk to Severus, explain the truth to him?" Hermione asked.

"Severus." Draco repeated with a laugh. "You're calling him Severus now."

"I guess so." Hermione mumbled as she fiddled with her hair. "Well, should I talk to him?"

"Herms, you don't owe him an explanation." Draco told her. "He's your professor so it's none of his business."

"I know." Hermione replied. "Really, I know but I just…I feel as though I have to explain myself to him. I want to in fact. I don't want him to think me and Ron are together."

"You're going to hate me for suggesting this." Draco said. "But maybe you should consider being with Weasley. He's your age for one thing and people expect the two of you to end up together."

"My feelings for Ron don't go any further than friendship." Hermione replied. "The way I see him is no different than how I see you or Harry. I can't force myself to have feelings for someone when I don't."

"True." Draco agreed inclining his head. "Don't worry about it. Weasley will calm down and you'll be friends again in no time."

"Thanks Draco." Hermione smiled opening out her arms but the blonde shifted away.

"I've already told you I don't do hugs." He said.

Hermione just laughed at him before nudging him in the shoulder.

***

That night Hedwig swept in through Draco's window and dropped a letter into the blonde's lap effectively waking him from his sleep. Rubbing his tired eyes, he opened the letter and read through what Harry had written to him. It was short and simple but it made Draco smile like a cheshire cat.

Letter in hand, he sprang out of bed making his way to Hermione's room. He entered without knocking and blinked in surprise when he saw two heads in the bed instead of one.

Hermione was wrapped up in Severus' arms and the two were sleeping soundly. Draco backed out of the door shutting it quietly before returning to his room wondering if Hermione knew the potions master was sharing her bed or if she was completely ignorant. Draco was just thankful that they both had nightclothes on.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	20. Nightmares

**Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**Random fact about me: I'm currently listening to the 'Glee' soundtrack**

**Chapter 20-Nightmares**

When Hermione woke up she felt oddly cold. She looked around the room and had the strange feeling that something was missing but she couldn't place it. As she was dressing Crookshanks slinked into the room and Hermione decided her cat must have been the reason for that peculiar feeling.

Upon making her way down to the common room with her school bag Hermione found Draco looking more spectacular than usual.

"Ok, what's going on?" Hermione asked as she looked him over. "And aren't those trousers a little too tight?" She asked worried that they might be cutting off the boy's circulation.

"They're perfect, I look hot in them." Draco assured her as he brandished a piece of parchment in her face.

Curiously, Hermione took it from him and read over the short note that was written in a hand she recognised as Harry's.

The note simply read:

_Draco Malfoy, he's so fine, and I want to make him mine._

_Written whilst thinking about your perfect hair and your tight ass._

_Love Scar head._

Hermione's eyes widened at the content of the note and she looked up to Draco to find him grinning broadly.

"That's the best thing anyone's ever written for me." Draco told her. "Did you read the bit where he said my hair's perfect? Man, I never pinned Harry down for a romantic guy."

"Romantic?" Hermione spluttered. "If someone wrote something like this to me I'd hex them."

"Well we are very different people Herms." Draco told her. "This might not work for you but for me…it's perfect."

Still not understanding how such a poorly written note could win Draco over, Hermione settled for smiling. She did want Harry and Draco to work things out so there was no reason for her to question the unusual way they went about it.

"So what are you going to do when you see him?" Hermione asked as the two of them headed down to breakfast.

"Shove my tongue down his throat." Draco answered instantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes muttering to herself about the lack of romance and propriety.

"And I was wondering." Draco said as they stepped down the stairs. "Did you know Sev was in your bed last night?"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed.

"That's a no then." Draco commented to himself.

"What…I…that's ridiculous." Hermione replied. "I think I'd notice if someone else was in my bed. How would you know if he was there anyway?"

"Never mind." Draco told her. "I must have imagined it."

"Yes, you must have." Hermione agreed feeling an odd tingling in her chest and stomach.

"Ready for the show?" Draco asked with a smirk as they came to the doors of the great hall.

"Go get him Romeo." Hermione smiled encouragingly.

She followed the blonde through the doors and Draco began to strut over to the Gryffindor table. He slipped himself onto Harry's lap before crushing their lips together.

Everyone in the hall paused and fell silent as they stared in shock at the two former enemies. The way they were kissing was like something Hermione would expect to see in a porn movie, not that she'd ever watched one.

"Get a room." Seamus called out in amusement thereby breaking the silence.

The students returned to eating their breakfast all discussing the kiss between Harry and Draco.

After witnessing the kiss, Ron decided to take his leave and he barged past Hermione on his way.

"Oh grow up Ron." She sighed but he ignored her.

***

Harry and Draco had been an official couple for two weeks now but it was still the favourite conversation topic for gossipers such as Lavender Brown and Pansy Parkinson.

Hermione and Ron still weren't speaking to one another. Fed up with the pair of them Harry had taken to spending his time with Draco saying that he'd be ready to talk to the other two when they made up. Stubborn as ever, Hermione refused to seek Ron out first and spent much of her time in the library or in the company of Neville and Luna. Ron had taken to hanging around with Seamus and Dean.

However, Harry, Ron and Hermione still sat together at meal times but Ron and Hermione would act as though the other wasn't there which seriously grated on Harry's nerves. Ron also brought up Terry Boot at meal times still trying to persuade Harry to date him rather than Draco.

It had also come to Hermione's attention that the dark circles around Severus' eyes had gone and his skin looked healthier. He didn't look so tired anymore and he was marginally less surly than the students were used to. Hermione supposed he'd been using a dreamless sleep potion again but Draco's comments about the man sleeping in her bed did surface on her mind.

She had asked Draco more about it but he had always shrugged her off saying it was just a joke. Eventually, Hermione had stopped pestering him about it and taken his words as the truth.

***

One night in mid October, Hermione couldn't sleep. She woke up and was startled to feel arms wrapped around her. Her tired mind assumed it must be Draco though why he'd be in her bed she didn't know. She rolled over to face him only to let out a loud scream when her eyes landed upon Severus' sleeping face.

The man awoke and sat bolt upright and in a flash Draco was pushing open Hermione's bedroom door to see what was wrong. All three of them froze for a few moments before Severus transfigured and flew out of the room presumably to leave through the portrait hole.

"He was in my bed." Hermione said finding it strange to say the words aloud. "He was really in my bed. You said you were joking."

"I only found him in your bed the one time." Draco replied. "I didn't know he was sneaking in every single night."

"But why did you tell me you were joking when you weren't?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"I don't know, it seemed easier." Draco told her. "Look just…just go back to sleep."

"I can't, what if he comes back?" Hermione asked.

"Herms, I know Sev." Draco answered. "He won't be back tonight. In fact, he won't be back at all unless you invite him. Now, I need to catch some beauty sleep. Night."

She watched him leave and collapsed her head back onto the pillows. After a few silent minutes, she realised why Severus didn't look tired anymore. For some reason, the man was able to find peaceful sleep with her at his side, just as he had this summer when she was in her cat form.

***

As October slipped into November, Severus was suffering from nightmares again. As the days and weeks progressed, his mood darkened along with the circles around his eyes. In just one school week the potions master took away a total of two-hundred and fifty points from each of the school houses including his own.

He issued almost every one of his students with a detention to be overseen by Filch and even Draco had been too scared to pay him a visit after school hours.

"I've never seen him like this before." Draco said to Harry obviously concerned. "He won't even listen to Dumbledore. Pansy told me she saw Sev throw a stinging hex at Dumbledore when she was on her way to Divination."

"That could just be a rumour." Hermione said reasonably though she didn't sound convinced.

"He's obviously really pissed off about something." Harry commented. "And for once I don't think it's about something I've done."

"Maybe you could talk to him Herms." Draco suggested. "He might listen to you."

"Why would Snape listen to Hermione?" Harry asked in confusion and Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What aren't you telling me?"

Letting out a sigh Hermione began to explain everything that had been happening with her and Severus since the summer. After hearing everything Harry jumped to his feet.

"I'm telling Dumbledore." He declared.

"Harry no." Hermione told him as she blocked his exit. "Please just…just leave it."

"Hermione the creep is perving over you." Harry said angrily. "It's disgusting. Someone should hex his balls off."

"Harry." Draco admonished. "Sev's important to me and if Hermione really had a problem with what's been happening she'd have told Dumbledore herself."

"So what are you saying?" Harry asked furiously looking between the two. "Do you have the hots for Snape or something?"

"I don't have the hots for anybody." Hermione sighed. "But there's no need to report him. He isn't doing me any harm."

"No not yet." Harry said sourly. "But I wouldn't put it past him. He's a death eater remember."

"That doesn't make him evil." Draco defended.

Harry and Draco stared one another out until eventually Harry hung his head in defeat.

"I don't like this Hermione." He told her quietly.

"I'm not really a fan of what's going on myself." Draco said as he wound an arm around his boyfriend's waist. "But I know that Sev cares about her. He's not trying to hurt her and he'd never…force himself upon her or anything. He is a good man. I mean he's still a bastard but…he has a good heart once you break past that frosty exterior."

"He has nightmares." Hermione explained and both the boys looked shocked. "This summer, I heard him screaming every night. It was heart wrenching."

"I never heard anything." Draco commented.

"He would have put up a silencing charm." Harry said knowingly. "I put one up around my bed every night just in case."

"No offense Harry but I think Severus' nightmares are far worse than yours." Hermione told him. "He had them every night unless…unless I was in the bed with him."

"So that's why he was sneaking into your bed?" Harry asked. "To get some sleep."

"I believe so." Hermione replied. "And now that he's sleeping alone again…"

"The nightmares have returned…" Draco continued.

"And now he's an even worse snarky git than usual." Harry finished.

The three friends let out a collective sigh as they moved to sit back down on the sofa.

"I can't believe I'm actually feeling sorry for Snape." Harry commented as he rested his head in Draco's lap and draped his legs across Hermione.

***

That night Hermione was unable to find sleep. All she could think about was Severus tossing, turning and screaming from the horror of his nightmares. She felt guilty. If she hadn't have screamed when she found him in her bed perhaps he'd still be sharing it with her and getting the rest and sleep he needed. It wasn't fair that he became trapped in the land of nightmare each night.

Making a decision Hermione climbed out of bed and transfigured into her cat form. Crookshanks mewled at her and she purred back before leaving the room. She made her way through the school corridors down to Severus' office.

Checking that no-one was watching she transformed back to her normal state and pushed open the door. She stepped through easily and Hermione was thankful that the wards were still open to her. She had feared that he might have blocked her from his rooms out of anger.

Hermione then made her way into his living area then up to his room. As she stepped over the threshold her ears were attacked with his screams. Her heart ached for him and she quickly made her way over to the bed. She ran a hand through his midnight black hair hoping to calm him.

It took a few minutes but the man slowly relaxed. His eyelashes fluttered and Hermione knew he was about to wake up. She tensed fearing his reaction but to her surprise he didn't shout as she'd expected.

"Hermione." He croaked out tiredly before his eyelids drooped shut again.

Lifting the covers, Hermione crawled in beside her professor and rested her head upon his chest. For now things were ok but she strongly suspected a fully awake Severus wouldn't be quite so relaxed in the morning.

**To Be Continued**

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	21. Two Doors

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: I watched the first episode of Glee determined to hate it but I loved it, so yes, I am a huge Glee fan and I'm proud of it.**

**Chapter 21-Two Doors **

Severus woke up feeling much better rested than he had since the last night he had shared Miss Granger's bed. Before he had even opened his eyes he knew the girl was there. Even if he couldn't feel her wrapped up in his arms, he'd have heard her soft breathing and smelt her apple-like scent.

Finally opening his eyes he looked down at her. She was still sleeping. A large part of him wanted to drift back to sleep and just hold her forever but he knew that was not possible.

He carefully dislodged himself from her and stepped out of the bed. Leaving her to sleep, he headed to his bathroom for a shower before getting dressed in his usual black.

Standing by the bed, he simply watched her sleep for a while before roughly tugging the pillow out from under her head. The movement woke her and she stirred before looking round in slight confusion until her eyes landed on him and realisation dawned on her face.

"Um…good morning." She tried weakly.

"Get out." Severus ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

She didn't move immediately. For several long painful minutes she stayed completely still looking up at him with a sad look upon her face. It was clear that she wanted to stay for a while, for him to say something else, a thank you perhaps, but Severus was not willing to comply. He stood his ground with his arms crossed over his chest fixing her with his deadliest glare. Most people would have run away screaming if they were receiving such a look but not Miss Granger, she didn't even flinch.

"Out!" Severus snapped at her.

Lowering her eyes, Miss Granger scrambled out of the bed. She then turned her back on him and quickly remade the bed before walking past him without another word.

She changed into her cat form and made her way back to her own living quarters.

***

Throughout the day, Hermione was somewhat distracted. In Transfiguration, it took her three attempts to change the hairbrush into a cactus. Usually Hermione completed everything on the first try but not today.

During Defence Against the Dark Arts, the students had been paired up to have a mock duel. An unfocused Hermione was partnering Neville and he easily disarmed her before she'd even had a chance to blink.

At break, Harry asked her what was bothering her and she replied with an odd remark about the muggle movie 'Edward Scissorhands'.

After break in her Ancient Runes class, Hermione was asked to read out a translation and to the students' and professor's confusion she started speaking in French.

Herbology was just as bad and she would have probably chopped her own finger off if Neville hadn't intervened. Seeing that Hermione was clearly not herself, professor Sprout had suggested she go see Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing.

"Weasley, you make sure she gets there." Pomfrey said.

Grumbling slightly, Ron threw his pruning shears down and took off his protective gloves before leading Hermione out of the greenhouses.

They started off walking up to the castle about a metre apart with Ron slouching and looking down at the ground and Hermione looking skyward.

As they neared the school, they slowly drew closer together until their arms were brushing.

When they reached the stone steps that lead up to the entrance doors, Hermione sat down upon them.

"Mione are you ok?" Ron asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"Fine." She replied. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Do you need to see Pomfrey or not?" He asked her.

"No." Hermione told him. "I'm not sick."

Scratching the back of his neck, Ron sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I don't mean to be so…so…"

"Frustrating." Hermione supplied.

"Yeah." Ron said with a small smile. "I just don't take rejection well I guess."

"I'm sorry too." Hermione apologised. "I enjoy squabbling with you all the time but I hate it when we have a proper fall-out. And I never meant to lead you on or anything…"

"You didn't." Ron interrupted. "I'm just an idiot."

"You're not an idiot Ronald." She told him sternly.

"Missed you Mione." Ron admitted offering her a lopsided grin.

"Missed you too." Hermione replied as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

The two reunited friends stayed in their embrace until they heard the sound of somebody clearing their throat behind them.

Pulling away from Ron, Hermione turned round to find Severus stood above them.

"Professor." Hermione squeaked turning pink as she and Ron both jumped to their feet.

"Shouldn't the two of you be in class?" He asked in a fierce tone.

"Well…I was…we were just…" Hermione stammered out as she fell to pieces under the man's heated gaze.

"I was just taking Hermione to the hospital wing." Ron spoke up and Severus turned to shoot daggers at the redhead with his eyes. Ron gulped slightly but stood his ground and carried on speaking. "We sat down for a bit because she was feeling dizzy."

"Back to your lesson Weasley." Severus ordered. "I'll escort Miss Granger to the hospital wing."

"But I…" Ron tried.

"Go." Severus snarled.

With the tips of his ears turning red, Ron cast a look to Hermione and she gave him a small nod telling him to return to Herbology. Sending a suspicious look at the potions teacher, Ron made his way back to the greenhouses.

"Come." Severus instructed to his pupil as he spun on his heel and marched back up the concrete steps.

Obediently, Hermione followed. He led her not upstairs to the hospital wing, but through the corridors towards the dungeons where his office was located.

"Still feeling dizzy Miss Granger?" He asked her once they were in his office.

"No sir." Hermione replied. "I feel fine now."

"Nevertheless, I'd better check." Severus told her.

He moved towards her and placed his hand on her forehead. He then moved two of his fingers down to her neck and checked her pulse before slipping his hand through her blouse to feel her heart beat.

"Your hearts beating faster than it ought to be Miss Granger." He informed her.

"That's just the affect you have on me sir." She answered him.

Severus smirked slightly before pulling his hands away and taking a step back from her.

"I'm sure your condition isn't life threatening." Severus said calmly. "You may go."

"But I want to stay." Hermione dared to tell him. "I've already missed most of Herbology and you don't have a lesson to teach so…there really isn't a reason why I can't stay here until lunch…is there?"

"Miss Granger, there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't stay here." Severus replied.

"Such as?" Hermione questioned as she took a step closer to him.

"There are papers I need to mark." He answered. "You should return to your lesson and try to catch up. As your teacher it would be inappropriate for me to allow you to miss Herbology and…"

"And what?" Hermione asked him in a breathy whisper.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can control myself around you." Severus admitted.

Hermione stepped closer to him and reached a hand up to his face. She gently brushed his lips with the pad of her thumb. He parted his mouth at the touch and his breath tickled her hand. He lightly wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pushed her hand away before striding to the middle of the room with his back to her.

He pulled out his wand and with two choice words the door that led out of his office opened as did the door that led to his rooms.

"Two doors Miss Granger." Severus told her. "You can only walk through one. Think carefully before you make your decision. If you leave my office you can join your friends at lunchtime with your virginity still in tact. But if you step into my private rooms I won't be able to keep my hands to myself."

"What if I just stay in your office and don't walk through either door?" Hermione asked.

"Then I'll take you on the desk." He answered.

The girl fell silent and Severus closed his eyes tight waiting to hear the sound of her footsteps or the closing of a door. Eventually, he heard her moving past him and he opened his eyes then looked to his office door to see her walking away from him closing the door behind her.

"Smart girl." Severus sighed to himself before seating himself at his desk and pulling a stack of essays towards him.

**To Be Continued**

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	22. Gryffindor Verses Hufflepuff

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**Random fact about me: When I was in primary school, a boy named Daniel Legg used to sing the song 'Uptown Girl' to me as he walked me home.**

**Chapter 22-Gryffindor Verses Hufflepuff**

In mid November, the Gryffindors faced their second match of the season against Hufflepuff. The weather was not kind to the players and heavy rain and violent winds beat down upon them.

Out in the quidditch stands, the students were wrapped up in thick coats and scarf's many of them huddling under umbrellas. Once again Hermione was stood with Neville cuddling up to him for warmth as they shared her umbrella.

"What's the score?" Hermione asked above all the noise.

"Gryffindor have 30 and Hufflepuff have yet to score!" Neville replied.

Shivering, Hermione inched closer to her friend and he wrapped an arm around her.

The stands erupted in cheers as Ginny scored another goal for Gryffindor.

Hermione would have clapped but her hands felt like two blocks of ice with five icicles each. She could have cursed herself for not thinking to put on a pair of gloves. Her teeth were chattering together and she was pretty sure her lips were turning blue.

Whilst Neville was concentrating on the game, a raven landed upon Hermione's shoulder. She blinked at the bird in shock wondering what on earth he wanted. He tugged on a strand of her hair with his beak before letting it go and flying under the stands obviously waiting for her to join him.

Leaning in to Neville, Hermione told him she was too cold and that she was going to return to the school. She told him he could keep her umbrella and the boy thanked her before she left.

Once she was out of view, Hermione turned into her cat form and followed the raven, who was flying low to the ground, back up to the castle.

It was only when Severus reached his office that he transformed back to a man. Looking round quickly Hermione transformed back to her regular self and stepped through the door as he held it open for her. He then led her through his office into his living area.

After removing her wet coat and scarf Severus instructed her to warm up in front of the fire. She did what he asked without comment and sat close to the flames whilst he disappeared to his bedroom for a minute.

When he returned he was wearing a dry set of clothes consisting of black jeans and a plain white jumper. In his hand he carried a bundle of dry clothes and a towel. Standing over her, he worked the towel through her curls drying it for her.

"Put these on." He told her as he handed her the clothes.

Hermione took them from him but stood awkwardly not sure what to do.

"You can change in my room." Severus said.

The girl nodded before crossing to his bedroom closing the door behind her. She kicked off her sodden shoes and pulled off her wet socks and the rest of her clothing. She then pulled on the little grey shorts before buttoning up the too large black shirt.

Picking up her wet clothes she returned to the main room and Severus took the bundle out of her arms.

She kneeled down in front of the fire again and Severus joined her handing her a bottle of butterbeer.

"Thank you." Hermione said gratefully as she took a large gulp of the liquid that instantly warmed her bones. "How've you been sleeping?" She asked tentatively hoping he wouldn't throw her out for daring to voice such a question.

"Good." Severus lied as he stared into the depths of the flames.

"Liar." Hermione mumbled.

He shot her a glare which she simply rolled her eyes at.

"You're getting bags under your eyes again." She pointed out. "It's obvious you haven't had a decent night's sleep for a while."

"Indeed." He replied. "There's no rest for the wicked I suppose."

He turned to look at her with a soft expression, well soft for an ex-Slytherin, and she smiled at him a little awkwardly before downing more of her drink. He copied her example and drank some of his too.

They sat by the fire in silence both of them wanting to say so much but neither knowing how to start. Severus watched the flames of red and orange swirl together occasionally sneaking a look at the girl sat beside him wearing his clothing. Hermione also peeked the odd look at her professor.

Around the fifth time that Severus flickered his eyes towards his pupil his charcoal black met with her chocolate brown. He quickly averted his gaze feeling an odd lurch in his stomach. Something about Miss Granger made him feel like a teenaged boy again.

"Why am I here?" Hermione asked finally breaking the silence.

"You were cold." Severus answered as he finished off the last of his butterbeer. "I thought it would be best you came inside and warmed up. I wouldn't want you to get sick over a quidditch game."

Her lips formed into a half smile and she peered up at him through her eyelashes. The desire to lean in and kiss her was maddening. Didn't the girl understand how crazy she drove him with just a simple smile?

Then there were her eyes. For most of his life, Severus had considered brown to be a dull colour, yet on this young woman brown seemed far richer than any shade of gold. Her eyes weren't just plain old brown. They were a brown all of their own. Hermione brown.

In recent weeks, Severus had noticed how her irises took on a darker shade whenever she was angry or in deep concentration. When she was relaxed or if she was laughing they turned a fraction lighter. Then when her eyes met his they became a different shade of brown altogether. He was certain her eyes only shined that magnificent colour when she looked directly at him.

"Professor?" Hermione asked.

Upon hearing her voice Severus realised he'd been staring at her. He offered her a small smile and received a magnificent grin from her in return. Even her eyes sparkled a little extra.

"You need to go." Severus sighed as he stood up and moved away from her, away from temptation.

"I don't want to." Hermione told him from her position on the floor. "And you don't really want me to leave either."

He let out an odd noise that could have been a growl of frustration, a sob or perhaps a chuckle. Severus truly hated when people were right about him and as usual Know-it-all Granger had come to the correct conclusion. He didn't want her to leave.

"Miss Granger." Severus said in a voice of forced calm.

"Hermione." She told him pointedly.

"Miss Granger." He repeated causing her to scowl as he handed over her clothes that had been magically dried. "Go and change. No arguments."

Sighing in defeat, Hermione made her way back to his bedroom swaying her hips in a manner Draco would be proud of. A weaker man would have lost self-restraint at that moment and tore the girls clothes off before taking her on the nearest available surface. But Severus wasn't a weaker man and though the thought certainly swam teasingly through his mind, he managed to keep control.

When she returned to the main room she was in cat form. She purred up at him as she wrapped her feline body around his legs. Bending down, Severus stroked her sleek black fur and she mewled in delight. Standing on her back legs, she licked at the professor's face.

"Enough." Severus told her. "It's time for you to leave."

He received a meow in reply before Miss Granger, Hermione, Katrina, whatever you wanted to call her, slinked out through the door.

"Get it together Severus." He ordered himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

***

Up in her bedroom, Hermione returned to her regular form. Over her own clothes she still wore Severus' black shirt. She took it off and folded it carefully before tucking it under her pillow.

She later discovered that Gryffindor had beaten Hufflepuff with 290 points to 30.

**To Be Continued**

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**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	23. Overbearing Old Fool

**Disclaimer-I still don't own the magic that is Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**Random fact about me: I love Dumbledore's character, but I find him so difficult to write**

**Chapter 23-Overbearing Old Fool**

Throughout the remainder of November, Severus slept alone in his room, a prisoner of his own mind as he suffered in the hell of nightmares. There had been times when Hermione had dared to venture into his rooms in the form of Katrina but he always sent her away insisting that he didn't need her presence to sleep.

As December approached, Hermione gave up and stayed in her own dormitory each night. She knew Severus would not come to her, he was much too proud, but it seemed he wouldn't accept her coming down to him either.

She had spoken to Draco about it and the blonde had simply shrugged saying that was just the way Severus was.

"I feel bad." Hermione confided to the head boy over homework one night. "He looks so tired again, even worse than how Remus looks when it's close to the full moon. It worries me."

"He's fine." Draco assured her. "I admit that without sleep he's a bit stroppy in class but he's still healthy."

"What if he's called to a death eater meeting?" Hermione asked. "What if somebody finds out he's a spy and his brain's too tired to talk his way out of it or fight the others off?"

"Sev's a survivor." Draco told her. "He can take anything they throw at him with or without sleep. Besides, they'll never find out he's a spy. He's too good of an actor."

Though she didn't feel any better Hermione decided to drop the subject and focus on her Charms essay.

"Will you be going home to see your mother this Christmas?" Hermione asked some time later when she'd completed her essay.

"No." Draco replied and it was obvious from his tone of voice that he was sad about this fact. "Mother and father wish for me to remain at Hogwarts. It'll be safer that way."

"I suppose you'll be staying here over Easter as well." Hermione said and Draco nodded forlornly. "But surely you can still write to them can't you?"

"Not properly." Draco answered. "The dark lord is keen to mark me. That's the last thing I want and my parents don't want that either. They have to keep me away from him as long as possible and assure him of their loyalty at the same time. It's not easy. I can hardly write my mother a letter telling her that I'm with Harry and that I'm missing her so much and wish that stupid snake face was dead so I could see her again. To be honest, I'm surprised we've been able to survive this long. The dark lord's not stupid, I'd have thought he'd realise by now that my mum's trying to keep me away from him."

"Voldemort doesn't understand things like that." Hermione told him. "He may be cunning but when it comes to emotions he's as clueless as a troll. He'll never understand love, that's his weakness. I'm sure he won't realise your parents are trying to protect you."

"Either way, it'll only be so long before he becomes suspicious." Draco sighed.

"Everything will be ok Draco." She told him as she stroked Crookshanks behind the ears. "Good always triumphs over evil in the end."

"In story books maybe." Draco said. "But one can never be sure of the outcome in real life. The truth is, not everybody makes it. We won't all get a happy ending."

The two fell silent and looked around at different points of the room each lost in their own thoughts.

"So, are you going back to your parents for Christmas?" Draco asked bringing the intense subject back to something more joyful.

"I've not decided yet." She answered him.

***

The next day, Hermione hung back after Potions. Severus realised she was still there but he took his time organising through the items on his desk before he turned to acknowledge her.

"It's lunchtime Miss Granger." He told her. "Go and eat."

"It's almost the end of term." Hermione stated.

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Severus replied. "The Christmas holidays is one of my favourite parts of the year; no idiotic brats to teach."

"Perhaps the career of a professor isn't the best option for you." Hermione told him. "At least not if you hate the students so much."

"I don't hate them all." Severus said and their eyes met briefly before he faked a cough and acted as though he hadn't said anything. "Now Miss Granger, I have a lot of work to do so please tell me whatever it is you wished to say then hurry along."

"I just…I'm having trouble deciding what I should do this Christmas." Hermione answered. "I know my parents would like me to visit them for the holidays but as head girl it might be…necessary for me to stay here."

"Miss Granger." Severus replied as he pulled his head up to look at her. "Unless you're going to drape yourself naked on my bed Christmas morning you should go home and visit your parents."

"Do you ever think about anything other than sex?" Hermione huffed.

"I'm a man Miss Granger." Severus pointed out as though that answered the question.

"I thought I might stay…to help you sleep." Hermione told him.

"I do not need your help." He replied.

"Then I guess I'm going home for Christmas." Hermione said.

Rather than answer, Severus pretended to busy himself with a plain piece of parchment. His student waited a few minutes to see if he'd say anything else but she gave up and stormed out complaining about the male species.

Part way down the corridor she bumped into Dumbledore and she blushed slightly as her ramblings came to a finish.

"Oh, sorry professor. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." She apologised.

"No worries my dear girl." Dumbledore beamed at her. "Do be sure to have a taste of the chocolate covered carrots. They're surprisingly delicious. But steer clear of the gravy. Miss Lovegood informed me it's infested with grasshoppers."

"I'll bear that in mind." Hermione told him somehow managing to keep a straight face. "Thank you professor."

Dumbledore winked at her before carrying on down the corridor towards the potions room. When he arrived, Severus was sat at his desk twirling his quill through his long pale fingers.

"Severus my boy." Dumbledore greeted. "How are you this fine afternoon?"

The potions master let out a groan in response before rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

From within his robes, Dumbledore pulled out a peculiar pocket watch.

"Ah." He said as he looked down at it. "The lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with you. Why don't you go and take a nap, I'll cover your afternoon classes for you."

"I'm a grown man Albus, I don't need a nap." Severus retorted in annoyance. The words had barely left his mouth when he let out a huge yawn.

"A good night's sleep will do you good young man." Dumbledore told him.

"I can't sleep." Severus replied.

"Of course you can." Dumbledore said. "If you'd like I'll even have Madame Pomfrey read you a bedtime story."

"I'm not a child old man." Severus snapped.

"We are all children at heart my boy." Dumbledore chuckled. "Some of us are just more mature than others."

"And others are immature." Severus replied looking pointedly at the headmaster.

"Miss Granger is an extraordinary child." Dumbledore commented as he sat on one of the desks much like a teenager would do as opposed to an elderly man. "And you Severus are rather extraordinary yourself. Imagine the possibilities if the two of you were together…you'd get a good night's sleep for a start."

"Albus." Severus snarled. "She is my student. You know that. And she's so young; she has her whole life ahead of her. I will not let her waste it on a screw-up like me."

"Now, now Severus." Dumbledore chided. "Anyone would think you enjoyed being miserable."

"Maybe I do." He retorted.

"She's a wonderful young woman Severus." Dumbledore informed him. "You shouldn't let her slip through your fingers."

"And you shouldn't be encouraging me to ruin her life." Severus returned.

"You would not ruin it." Dumbledore assured him. "You'd make one another happy."

"I doubt her parents would approve." Severus answered. "Nor would her friends. There is also my position as a spy to consider. If the dark lord were to learn of my…feelings…he'd use her to hurt me if he ever discovered I was not truly loyal to him. It is better for her to be away from me. She's less likely to get hurt that way. In fact, I should probably do all I can to make the girl hate me."

"That would only hurt you Severus." Dumbledore told him. "I know you've made mistakes in the past but you don't have to punish yourself forever. You should allow yourself some happiness. You may not think you deserve it, but I think you do and if I think it then it must be true for I am always right."

"Always right and always annoying." Severus drawled.

"Of all my students Severus, you're my favourite." Dumbledore said. "Now go, get some sleep."

"Overbearing old fool." Severus muttered as he stood up and made his way to his private chambers with the headmaster following behind him to ensure that he settled down to sleep.

"Are you sure you don't want a story?" Dumbledore asked before a pillow was hurtled at him.

**To Be Continued**

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	24. Lingering Scents

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone.**

**My computer got a nasty virus again *cries* but my daddy fixed it and it's all better now so much love to my daddy :D**

**Random fact about me: I'm really desperate for a wee right now**

**Chapter 24-Lingering Scents **

On the 20th of December, all students who were returning home for the Christmas holidays were busy packing the last of their things or bidding farewell to friends before they left in the threstral-drawn carriages.

As Hermione had already packed her things two nights before she was helping Ron quickly load up his trunk. The redhead grabbed a bunch of clothes and tossed them over to her in a messy pile and she folded each item neatly before placing it in the trunk.

When it was all done Hermione told him there was one more thing she had to do and that she'd meet him at the entrance doors.

Moving quickly through the castle, Hermione made her way to Severus' quarters with Crookshanks in tow and a neatly wrapped present in her hands. Even though she could just walk in, she decided it would be more polite to knock. His silky voice invited her in and she stepped through the door.

"Hello professor." She greeted.

His back was to her as he sat on the couch with his legs stretched out and a book in his hands. Setting his book aside he stood up and turned to face her.

"I just thought I'd say goodbye." Hermione told him.

"Goodbye." Severus said before turning his back dismissively.

She frowned slightly but did not let his rudeness deter her. Stepping forward she gently placed the present on the mahogany table a few inches from where he'd placed his book.

"Pride and Prejudice." Hermione said as she read the title off the front cover. "That's one of my favourites. Though my absolute favourite is a series of books by a remarkable woman named J.K Rowling. Of course in the seventh and final book of the series she killed off my favourite character. He reminded me of you in fact…the character I mean."

Realising she was babbling Hermione took a breath and forced herself to become quiet. Her professor still didn't say anything so she spoke up again.

"I hate the idea of you being alone at Christmas." Hermione told him as she bent down and scooped Crookshanks into her arms. "I know there are the other professors and a handful of students staying here but…you'll still be on your own Christmas morning so…um…I've decided to leave Crookshanks here, with you. You can look after each other."

Before Severus could protest she forced the cat into his arms before hurrying to the door.

"Miss Granger." Severus called and Hermione froze in the doorway before turning her head. He wasn't looking at her but he was stroking Crookshanks' ginger fur with gentle affection. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas sir." Hermione replied before stepping out closing the door behind her.

She returned to the entrance hall where Ron was sat on the steps with both of their trunks at his feet, Harry and Draco stood beside him to bid them farewell. Or at least, Harry was there to say goodbye to them, Draco was there to make Ron feel uncomfortable as he felt up Harry's arse and suckled on his neck.

"Where were you?" Ron asked her as he grimaced at the sight of Harry and Draco making out.

"Toilet." Hermione lied.

"Hang on, where's that mad cat of yours?" Ron asked as his pet owl Pig gave a loud squawk.

"Um…in my dorm." Hermione said as she caught Draco's eye and gave him a meaningful look. "Draco's looking after him over the holidays."

Tucking her hair behind her ears, Hermione crouched down and opened the lid of her trunk taking out two neatly wrapped presents. One was wrapped in shiny silver paper with a neat green bow tied round it. With a smile she handed it to Draco. The second was wrapped in red paper with a gold ribbon and bow tied round it. She handed this one to Harry.

"Thanks Hermione." Harry beamed as he hugged his friend. "I'll send you yours by owl."

"I didn't get you anything." Draco told her uncaringly. "And I'm not going to."

Hermione just rolled her eyes before stepping forward with her arms outstretched but the blonde took a step behind Harry insisting that he didn't hug.

"You will give me a hug someday Draco Malfoy." Hermione promised. "Anyway, we ought to get a move on. Have a good Christmas boys."

"You too." Harry said after sharing a brief manly hug with Ron. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Ron and Hermione echoed together before making their way to the carriages.

They shared a cart with Neville, Ginny and Luna then they all found a compartment together on the train.

After the lady with the food trolley had passed by Ron got up to use the toilet. As Hermione watched him go she spotted Blaise walking past. The dark skinned boy winked at her before following after Ron.

"Did you see that?" Hermione asked turning to her three companions.

Both Ginny and Luna had been reading a copy of the Quibbler so they were clueless but Neville had seen.

"I'll go after them if you like." Neville offered as he gripped his wand. "Just to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry about it Neville. I'm sure it's fine." Hermione replied despite the fact there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

She waited for Ron to return and after five minutes had passed she decided the boy was taking too long so she left the compartment in search of him. Part way down the train a compartment door slid open and an arm stretched out before pulling her inside.

Almost losing her balance, Hermione looked up to see Ron. He looked angry, hurt and confused all at the same time.

"Is it true?" He asked her his tone sounding almost accusing.

"Ronald, I don't understand. Is what true?" She asked.

"Zabini." Ron said. "He told me something. Something about you and a certain slimy git."

"For Merlin sake Ronald, stop talking about Draco that way." Hermione scolded.

"I wasn't talking about Malfoy." Ron told her quietly as he looked her in the eye. "Snape. Zabini seems to think there's something going on between you and him."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked as her mind conjured up various ways to torture Blaise Zabini.

"He says you're falling in love with him." Ron answered. "He says you're falling in love with Snape."

With a sigh, Hermione's shoulders dropped and she cast her eyes to the floor. That was all the confirmation Ron needed.

"It's true isn't it?" Ron sneered. "You're in love with Snape for fuck sake." He kicked the seats in anger before pacing over to the window and resting his forehead on the glass. "Does the old bat love you back?"

"Ron." Hermione said pleadingly.

"Does he?" Ron pressed his voice increasing in volume.

"I don't know." Hermione admitted honestly. "Nothing's happened. I just…this summer, it made me see Severus in a new way."

"Severus." Ron repeated scathingly. "Fucking pervert."

"He's not a pervert Ron." Hermione snapped defensively.

"Whatever." The redhead replied before slumping into a seat and looking glumly at his shoes.

"He's not." Hermione insisted. "Nothing's happened between us. He's my professor, nothing more."

"You went to see him earlier didn't you?" Ron replied. "Before we left. You said you went to the toilet but…really you went to see him."

"I was just wishing him a happy Christmas and saying goodbye." Hermione told him. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"You didn't take time to say goodbye to all the teachers." Ron pointed out. "Just snarky Snape. Be honest with me Hermione. What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing." Hermione answered.

"You're lying." Ron spat at her. "He's probably fucked you every night since the beginning of term. It's sick."

"I'm still a virgin Ron." Hermione told him. "And it's really not your business whether I am or not. You're not my boyfriend."

"No. I'm not." Ron sulked as he placed his head in his hands. "It's never me is it? First there's Viktor Krum, then there's Cormac. Now it's fucking Snape of all people. Why can't it be me?"

Hermione sighed before sitting down beside the dejected boy. Cautiously, she reached a hand up and placed it on Ron's shoulder. He didn't shake it off as she'd expected, instead he leaned into her burying his face in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back soothingly searching for the right words to say but nothing came to her.

"I love you Mione." Ron mumbled, his breath tickling her throat. "I've always loved you."

"Ron don't." Hermione begged. "I don't want to hear you say things like that. It makes me feel guilty. I can't help the way I do or don't feel. It's not my fault I've developed romantic feelings for…"

"Don't say his name." Ron interjected pulling his face up.

"For him." Hermione continued. "I can't help how I feel for him."

"You could take an anti-love potion." Ron replied part joking but part serious.

"Don't be silly Ronald." Hermione told him. "I do love you Ron. Just not in the way you want me to. You understand that right? We talked about it before."

"I know." Ron groaned. "I just…its bad enough that you can't love me back but…knowing that you love _him_, that's just torture."

"I don't know what you want me to say Ron." Hermione replied.

"Lie to me." Ron suggested desperately. "Tell me this fucked up shit with Snape is a load of bollocks. Tell me that you love me."

The girl cast her friend a pitying look before pressing a kiss to his temple. She squeezed his shoulder before standing up.

"I'm sorry Ron." She said. "Truly I am. Everything would be so much easier if I did love you back but…I just don't."

"Can't say I blame you." Ron mumbled pathetically. "There's not really much to love about a loser like me."

"You're not a loser." She told him. "And there are plenty of things to love about you. I'm just not the right girl for you."

The two fell into a short silence before Hermione left the redhead and returned to sit with Ginny, Luna and Neville.

"Is everything ok?" Neville asked her.

"Not really." Hermione confessed but she didn't elaborate.

She spent the remainder of the journey staring out the window whilst Neville talked about plants and his pet toad. The two younger girls were giggling as they read an article in the Quibbler and further down the train, Ron Weasley sat alone in his compartment.

***

The train journey came to an end and the Hogwarts students grabbed their trunks and pets before hurrying off to meet their parents on the platform or to travel through the barrier back into the muggle world.

After a quick goodbye to Neville and Luna, Hermione followed Ginny over to Mrs. Weasley, Tonks and Lupin. She stayed with them for a while waiting for Ron to emerge. When he stepped out dragging his trunk and carrying Pigwidgeon he was smiling happily as he came to greet his mum.

"Oh Ronald, I swear you've grown another inch or so since the start of term." Mrs. Weasley told him as she leaned up to kiss his forehead.

"I should get going." Hermione spoke up. "My parents are waiting for me."

"Of course dear." Mrs. Weasley said as she gave the young woman a hug. "You have a good Christmas."

"You too Mrs. Weasley." She replied before turning to hug Ginny. She then turned to Ron and pulled him into an awkward hug. "Bye Ron."

"Bye Mione." He whispered back before stepping away.

As Hermione waved goodbye to them and walked away she didn't notice the odd looks Lupin was giving her.

"Remus?" Tonks asked when she noticed the expression on the werewolf's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Will you be able to return to headquarters without me?" He asked the metamorphamagus who was sporting electric blue dread locks today. "I need to go to Hogwarts."

"What for?" Ginny asked nosily.

"I have to see Severus." Lupin answered and Ron's eyes swept over to him and his ears perked up. "For Order business." He lied. "And to collect my potion."

"I thought he sent you that the other day." Tonks said.

"That was something else." He replied untruthfully. "If you'll excuse me, I must head to Hogwarts immediately."

The werewolf disappeared with a pop before appearing in Hogsmeade. He then marched up to Hogwarts and sent his patronus through the school gates and Hagrid came down to let him in. He talked politely to the half-giant as they walked across the grounds before Lupin made his way determinedly towards Severus' office to question him about the undeniable fact his scent lingered on one Hermione Granger.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	25. Best Friends

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**And NO, I don't have a beta and NO I don't want one. I realise I make the odd mistake bt rly u shud b gr8ful I dnt rite like this like sum ppl do**

**Random fact about me: My favourite vampire ever is Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer**

**Chapter 25-Best Friends **

If Severus was surprised to find Remus Lupin stood on the other side of his door he didn't show it. He merely arched a questioning eyebrow before stepping back to grant the werewolf entrance.

"Lupin." He drawled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ignoring the potions master, Lupin scanned the room and his eyes widened as he recognised Hermione's cat Crookshanks nestled happily by the fire. Hermione's smell lingered in the room and Lupin's eyes were also drawn to a neatly wrapped parcel on the table. Bending down, he inspected the present but it did not say who it was to or from.

"Did nobody ever teach you it's rude to place your paws over other people's possessions?" Severus asked him as he took the gift out of the other man's hands. "Bad dog."

"Who is that present from?" Lupin asked strongly suspecting it was from Hermione.

"It's from Santa Claus." Severus answered straight-faced. "Who else would it be from?"

"Fine." Lupin huffed. "Why is Hermione's pet cat lounging on your rug?"

"Good question." Severus replied. "I would ask the creature but I don't speak feline."

The werewolf frowned heavily as he barely suppressed a growl of frustration. He then stepped closer to the ex-death eater staring him straight in the eye.

"Why does Hermione smell like you?" Lupin asked in a voice that demanded an answer.

"She was in here before she left for the school train." Severus admitted.

"Severus, your smell was all over that girl." Lupin told him. "Now you had better tell me what's going on."

"Or what?" Severus challenged. "You'll get that…" He trailed off before finishing. He was about to say 'get that mangy mutt to tell me off' but then he remembered that Sirius Black was dead. "It's nothing to do with you." He finally decided to say as he turned away from the other man.

"She is your student." Lupin said. "She's just a child."

"I think we both know Miss Granger isn't an eleven year old brat anymore." Severus replied. "She's eighteen years old, a young adult. And yes, she is my student…nothing more."

"What does Albus have to say about…about whatever it is that's going on?" Lupin asked. "I assume he knows."

"Of course he knows." Severus answered. "That meddlesome old fool always knows. He thinks she and I could make one another happy."

"Happy?" Lupin scoffed. "The last time I saw the two of you together you tried to strangle her. What are you doing to her now? Bending her over the desk and dirtying her…innocence?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Severus snapped. "As tempting as it might be I've not taken advantage of her. As far as I am aware, Miss Granger is still a virgin. For some reason she's developed an interest in me, that's not something I can help."

"And how do you feel for her?" Lupin questioned.

"I don't have feelings." Severus answered quietly.

"I don't have feelings." Lupin repeated. "Is that Slytherin talk for love?"

"Get out Lupin." Severus sighed as he sank into his armchair. He placed his head in his hands hating himself for showing signs of weakness.

Quietly, Lupin selected two wine glasses and poured a generous helping for the potions master and himself. He handed one glass to the raven-haired man and Severus's white bony fingers eagerly grabbed it before tossing the red liquid down his throat.

"Cheers." He grunted.

"Indeed." Lupin replied as he poured Severus some more before taking a sensible sip of his own drink.

He perched on the sofa and the two men sat in silence as they drank whilst Crookshanks mewled obviously wanting to be stroked. Growing irritated by the cat's whines, Severus knelt by the fire and rubbed the cat's tummy.

"There's nothing wrong with being in love with a younger woman." Lupin finally said. "Just look at me and Tonks. There's not much age difference between Tonks and Hermione."

"But as you correctly stated earlier, Hermione is my student." Severus reminded him. "Any form of relationship between us would be completely inappropriate. What would her parents think? And there's every chance the dark lord could find out. I'll not put her in that danger. She's vulnerable enough just by being Potter's friend, last summer is proof of that. A relationship with me will only put her at greater risk. If the death eaters found out I was the spy…I dare not even think what they might do to her."

"This war won't go on forever." Lupin told him reasonably. "Nor will Hermione be your student forever. If the student-teacher relationship bothers you then wait until she's left Hogwarts."

"Are you actually encouraging me to pursue a relationship with Hermione Granger?" Severus asked. "Sweet Merlin, how much have you had to drink?"

"About four sips." Lupin answered. "And yes, I suppose I am encouraging you to pursue a relationship with her. Allow your love to blossom. Be happy for once. The miserable old bat routine is starting to bore."

"Is this now the part where you threaten to break my legs if I ever hurt her?" Severus wondered aloud as he finished his wine.

"I'm not the girl's father." Lupin replied. "It is not my place to make such threats. However, if Hermione hurts you…I'll be here to help pick up the pieces."

"Careful Lupin." Severus warned as he rubbed Crookshanks' ears. "If you continue to say things like that people will suspect us of having a proper friendship."

A gentle smile formed on Lupin's face.

"Crazy as it sounds, you're one of the best friends I have Severus." Lupin confessed.

"I think you are the best friend I have. Severus said. "I mean it this time. Get out."

"Consider me gone." Lupin answered with a smile as he hurried to the door.

Down the corridor he met Dumbledore; the headmaster seemed to be waiting for him.

"So, Severus and Hermione." Lupin said as he stood before the bearded man.

"It certainly looks that way." Dumbledore replied with a bright smile and twinkling eyes. "Do you approve?"

"Strangely I do." Lupin admitted. "If it had been another teacher or another student I'm not sure I'd be so understanding but…this is Severus. He would never intentionally hurt her I'm sure. He'd certainly irritate her, they'll irritate one another but…I don't think he'll break her heart."

"Why young Remus, I completely agree." Dumbledore smiled. "Love truly is a miraculous thing; a lot of people forget that. Just look at Romeo and Juliet. It is true their tale ended in tragedy but they loved one another with their dying breaths. Then there's Molly and Arthur Weasley. I don't think I've ever seen two people more in love then them. There's also you and Tonks of course and young Harry and Draco, what a dashing pair they do make. Severus and Hermione will truly be something remarkable, just like Barbie and Ken but real instead of plastic."

With that odd statement delivered, Dumbledore patted Lupin on the shoulder before walking away far speedier than he seemed able.

***

For Hermione the car ride home with her parents was mostly quiet. She spoke to them a little about her lessons and about her new friend Draco but she didn't feel comfortable telling them much else. The situation with Ron was a delicate matter and asking her mum and dad for advice about her potions professor was completely out of the question.

Her dad would probably crash the car is she told them how she'd shared a bed with an older man. It was better that they didn't know. Of course, if something was to happen between herself and Severus, as she dearly hoped something would, a time would come when she'd have to tell her parents about him. That certainly wasn't a conversation she looked forward to.

Upon arriving home, Mr. Granger carried Hermione's trunk up to her bedroom. She thanked him before ushering him out and closing the door so she could unpack. She took off her coat and beneath it she wore Severus' black shirt. Since the day she had taken it from his rooms she hadn't had it washed. It had remained under her pillow during the day and at night she liked to hold it close to her so she could pretend it was him. She was wearing it now because it still smelt like him and made her feel as though he was close by.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	26. Christmas day

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, sorry this chapter wasn't up sooner, I was really tired last night**

**Random fact about me: One time, I walked into an automatic door…in front of the boy I fancied. **

**Chapter 26-Christmas Day**

Christmas morning came and Severus was woken from a fitful sleep by Crookshanks licking his face.

"Blasted cat." He groaned shoving the feline off the bed and pulling the covers over his head.

An angry Crookshanks climbed back onto the bed and crawled under the quilt before scratching the potion master's leg. The man howled in pain and shoved the cat away.

"Evil psychotic animal." Severus hissed as he hobbled out of bed and reached for his wand to heal the scratch marks. "Go hunt for mice or attack Mrs. Norris."

Crookshanks walked away with his tail in the air seeming to do the feline equivalent of laughing.

After tending to his wound, Severus clambered to the shower. He didn't like Christmas. Normally he'd just sleep in till the afternoon, or whenever Dumbledore came to poke him awake, and then he'd spend the day reading a good book and enjoying a glass of brandy. However, this year it seemed that Crookshanks didn't want the man to sleep the day away.

Once dried and dressed, Severus entered his lounge area where Crookshanks was sat by a small pile of presents. Before joining the cat, Severus fetched him a bowl of milk and some cat food and set the two dishes on the floor. Crookshanks immediately moved over to it and began eating.

Sitting in his favourite armchair, Severus pulled out his wand and lit the fire before summoning the presents to him. There was of course the present from Hermione as well as one from Dumbledore, one from Draco and a joint present from Lupin and Tonks.

"Stupid wolf and stupid Nymph." Severus mumbled as he opened the one from Lupin and Tonks first.

Out from the neatly wrapped paper came a book emblazoned with the title: How to Pull a Younger Woman When You're a Miserable Old Git with No Social Skills.

"I hate Gryffindors." Severus seethed as he threw the book onto the couch, though he secretly found it amusing.

Next, he opened the gift from Draco. The blonde boy had given him a beautifully decorated photo frame that contained a magic picture of Hermione repeatedly laughing happily at the camera then spinning around.

"I hate Slytherins." Severus gritted out between his teeth before carefully positioning the photo in the middle of the mantelpiece.

He then opened Dumbledore's present which contained a bottle of brandy, a selection of sweets, a book, some rare potion ingredients and a vibrant purple cloak that Severus would _never_ wear.

Finally, he pulled the present from Hermione towards him and stared down at the shiny paper. He fingered the ribbon before neatly untying it and carefully ripping the paper off. Inside he found a beautifully crafted dreamcatcher that Hermione seemed to have made for him herself. He recognised the raven feather dangling from the bottom as the one he had given to her for her birthday. The dreamcatcher also had two phoenix feathers either side of the raven feather. The gift was obviously intended to help keep his nightmares at bay and Severus could feel the magic on the dreamcatcher. Clearly, Hermione had placed charms on it with the hopes it might actually work. Knowing Hermione, she had probably asked Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick to add some extra powerful charms to it as well.

***

On Christmas morning, Hermione happily opened her presents from her parents as well as the gifts Hedwig had delivered on Christmas Eve. One of the parcels bore a note saying: To Hermione, Merry Christmas, This definitely isn't from Draco.

She had been somewhat hesitant to open her present from Ron for fear it may have been something romantic but she was relieved to find he'd simply got her a new pair of gloves with a matching hat and scarf that had clearly been picked out by Ginny.

Although Hermione kept a smile fixed on her face throughout the day as she joined her parents and grandpa for Christmas dinner, she couldn't deny that she was disappointed not to receive a gift from Severus.

***

After eating Christmas dinner in the great hall, Draco invited Harry back to his head boy dorm. The two instantly made their way up to Draco's bedroom and were kissing passionately before the door had fully closed.

"How did this happen?" Harry asked a few minutes later as he lay beneath the blonde on the bed.

"Simple." Draco answered as he paid a great deal of attention to the chosen one's neck. "I brought you to my room and shoved my tongue down your throat. Then I pushed you towards the bed and crawled on top of you."

"Not what I meant." Harry laughed as the Slytherin licked a particularly sensitive spot. "I was talking about us. How did we happen? How did I fall in love with you?"

Draco looked down thoughtfully at the green-eyed boy before rolling onto his back and lying by his boyfriend's side.

"When I was younger." Draco began and Harry turned his head to face him. "My mum told me a story about the boy-who-lived. After she told me about you I went to our library and searched through every single book looking for information about Harry James Potter. There were only a few short passages on you but I read them all over and over again until I knew them by heart. Then when I got my Hogwarts letter I was so excited because I knew I'd finally be able to meet you. For weeks you were all I could talk about. Even my mum got a little annoyed with how much I spoke about you."

Harry chuckled softly before running his fingers through Draco's blonde strands.

"You were sort of like a fairytale character to me." Draco admitted. "I used to draw pictures of what I thought you might look like. Then when I first met you, in that robe shop, I didn't even know it was you. When I did find out I felt like a fool."

"When we met again on the train?" Harry asked. "Why did you act like such an arrogant jerk before asking me to be your friend?"

"Because I am an arrogant jerk." Draco replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Also, after Diagon Alley, my parents had a talk with me. They explained that it was a possibility the dark lord would return to power one day. At the time, father told me to make friends with you so that when the dark lord returned we could betray you. When he was at work my mum came to my room to speak to me. She told me to do the opposite, she told me to make sure you'd hate me. So I did."

"I'm sorry." Harry apologised not knowing what else he could say.

"It's not your fault." Draco told him. "And my father is sorry too, I know he is even if he'd never admit it. When the dark lord really did come back to power he became a spy, like Severus. Anyway, I think I always had a thing for you. There's just something hot about the forbidden relationships. I mean you were a Gryffindor I was a Slytherin. We were school rivals; we weren't supposed to be together. I think that made me want you more. I suppose that's how it is for Hermione and Sev. All I really know is that I love you. I can't even explain how or why but…I do. Of course, it may be a mystery as to why I love you but it's obvious why you love me."

"Yeah?" Harry asked. "Why do I love you then?"

"Because I'm Draco Malfoy." The blonde answered with a smirk. "And I'm fucking sexy. Now, if you're done with the semi-serious talk I'd like to make out with you some more."

"Fine by me." Harry grinned eagerly and Draco smiled back before rolling himself on top of the other boy.

The Slytherin angled his hips downwards rubbing himself against the boy beneath him. Harry moaned into Draco's mouth and bucked his hips upwards desperate for more friction. Smirking into the kiss, Draco waited until he felt Harry's excitement before pulling away completely and moving off the bed.

"I have to go see Sev now." Draco informed his boyfriend who was still on the bed looking deeply unsatisfied. "But thanks for stopping by. I'll see you later."

"Draco." Harry whined as he watched the blonde leave.

***

Severus let Draco into his living-room and poured the teen a glass of brandy before joining him on the couch. Crookshanks also appeared and settled himself on Draco's lap.

"When will I be able to see my parents again?" Draco asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know." Severus admitted. "There has been talk about you staying at the Order's Headquarters this summer. You'll be safe there."

"Can't my mum stay there too?" Draco asked. "I know father has to keep up appearances but surely mum doesn't. I'd feel better if I knew she was safe and if she was at Headquarters I'd be able to see over the summer. The time we spent together last summer wasn't enough and I could tell she was worrying about me all the time."

"I will discuss the possibility with the Order." Severus promised.

"What's going on right now?" Draco dared to question. "With the dark lord and…everything."

"Just the usual." Severus replied.

"I'm not an idiot Sev." Draco told him. "I know that means something's going up. You look worried. What happened at your last death eater meeting?"

"An attack has been planned." Severus answered with a sigh. "For tomorrow."

"Will you be involved?" Draco asked and his professor shook his head. "What about father?"

"He is to lead the attack." Severus told the blonde as he took another swig of his brandy.

"Is it an attack on the school?"

"On a small family." Severus answered. "A young witch of muggle parentage. The parents are to be killed, the girl to be captured and taken to the dark lord."

"Sev?" Draco asked feeling a sense of worry begin to surface in his stomach. "Who is it? Who's the girl?"

Turning his head away so that his inky black hair fell across his face obscuring his features, Severus looked to the picture frame above the fireplace.

"Hermione." Severus finally said as he watched the girl's photographic image spin around laughing happily blissfully unaware of the coming danger.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	27. The Smell of Peppermint

**Disclaimer-I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, I hate myself for writing this chapter but I've planned it this way for a long time**

**Random fact about me: In college, I performed an hour long play with my underwear stuck up my bum**

**Chapter 27-The Smell of Peppermint **

For some reason, Hermione was always unnaturally tired on Boxing Day. She slept in till half two in the afternoon before finally traipsing downstairs. Her dad was lounging in the armchair with the T.V on whilst reading a new book at the same time. Her mum was in the kitchen preparing an early dinner and her Grandpa was snoozing softly on the sofa.

Stretching her limbs out, Hermione moved to sit beside her Grandpa. She curled into his side and breathed in his peppermint scent. Her Grandpa let out a light snore before suddenly jerking awake.

"Hello there my little Booky-Wormy-Hermy." Grandpa said, his words sounding jumbled because he didn't have his false teeth in.

"Hi Gramps." Hermione replied as she rolled her eyes at the dreadful nickname.

"Have I told you lately that you're my favourite granddaughter?" He asked her with a big toothless grin.

"I'm your only granddaughter." Hermione pointed out.

"Exactly." Grandpa said. "Now be an angel and make your old Gramp a cup of tea."

Getting up, Hermione bustled through to the kitchen and busied herself with making her Grandpa a cup of tea. One teabag, two spoonfuls of honey, hot water and a tiny plash of milk. She carefully carried the steaming beverage back into the living-room and set it down on the table before sitting beside him again.

"Ta." He told her by way of thank-you as he leaned forwards to pick up the cup. He took a small sip then smacked his lips together in approval. "Lovely stuff. Tell me poppet, have you got a boyfriend yet?"

Mr. Granger suddenly turned his eyes away from his book and the T.V screen to eye his daughter beadily as he awaited her answer.

"No Gramps." Hermione replied as her thoughts suddenly turned to Severus.

"Oh I know that look." Grandpa teased with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Look, what look?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Our little Booky-Wormy-Hermy is in love." Grandpa declared.

"That's ridiculous." Hermione laughed as her cheeks tinted pink. "Of course I'm not in love."

Mr. Granger surveyed his daughter for a while. She tried not to squirm under his gaze but the tension in her shoulders gave her away. He knew she was lying and he frowned at her.

"What's his name? How old is he and do I need to break his legs?" Mr. Granger asked as he placed his book aside.

"I think I'll go help mum with dinner." Hermione replied eager to get away from her dad's interrogation.

"We're not finished here young lady." He called after her.

With a slight groan Hermione joined her mother in the kitchen and helped by preparing the salad. She wondered what she should say when her dad questioned her again. Obviously she couldn't admit the truth. To be honest she wasn't even sure how old Severus was though she assumed he was around the same age as her parents.

"Come on Hermione." Mrs. Granger smiled as she took the chips out of the oven. "You can tell me. Is it that Draco boy you were talking about?"

"Draco's gay mum." Hermione answered. "Even if he wasn't he's not my type. He's just too…too…blonde."

"Is it Harry or Ron then?" Mrs. Granger asked. "They do sound like lovely boys from what you've told me about them."

"Harry is also gay mum." Hermione informed her. "He's with Draco actually. They're really good together. You should see them mum they're so adorable."

"Don't try changing the subject misses." Mrs. Granger told her. "So if it's not Draco or Harry is it Ron?"

"No." Hermione replied quietly. "I mean…I care about Ron a lot but only in a platonic way. He has feelings for me though. He told me so on the train. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I didn't feel the same."

"That's not your fault sweetheart." Mrs. Granger told her as she carefully placed the cold turkey meat left over from the day before onto a plate.

"I know but I still feel guilty." Hermione said. "I'm worried things will be awkward when we go back to school. I really don't want our friendship to be ruined."

"I'm sure everything will work out." Mrs. Granger replied as she gave her daughter's shoulder a squeeze. "Now come on, tell me who the lucky boy is."

"He's not really a boy." Hermione muttered.

"Oh." Mrs. Granger said as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "Oh honey, why didn't you tell us you were a lesbian?"

"What? No, mum I'm not a lesbian." Hermione told her. "I just…it's stupid. Forget about it."

"Come on Hermione, I'm your mother. You can tell me anything." She said.

"It's not love." Hermione lied. "It's just a school girl crush…on my Potions teacher."

Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter for several moments before letting out a gentle laugh. She then proceeded to tell her daughter about the crush she once had on her Science teacher when she was a teenager.

The two Granger women were laughing together as they brought the dinner through to the dining room and set up the table.

Upon smelling the food, Grandpa hobbled out of his seat and eagerly took a place at the table licking his lips. Before anyone else was even seated the old man was piling food onto his plate.

The family of four had just begun eating when there was a knock at the door.

"Typical." Mr. Granger muttered in annoyance.

"I'll get it." Hermione offered moving out of her seat.

As she neared the front door she could just make out the outline of four tall figures wearing what appeared to be hooded cloaks. Alarm bells instantly sounded in her head and she ran back to the living-room and grabbed hold of her wand from the table.

"Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked in worry as she took in her daughter's panicked expression.

Three more knocks sounded upon the door and Hermione flinched at the sound of each one.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Mrs. Granger whispered frantically.

Moving over to the back window, Hermione peeked outside the curtain and to her horror another three death eaters were stood in the back garden. They were surrounded, trapped in their own home. Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to fight them all and she also knew that they'd soon get bored of knocking and use magic to open the door.

Gryffindor she may be, but at that moment in time, Hermione was truly terrified. A lone tear fell down her cheek as she scanned her eyes over her family for what could be the last time. Her mother from who she had inherited her curly hair was wearing an expression of utmost concern. Beside her, her father whose eyes were the same colour and shape as hers merely looked confused. Then there was her Grandpa who had no teeth and smelled of peppermint. He was still chomping down his food.

Her heart was hammering, more tears were stinging her eyes, a hard lump had lodged itself in her throat and her stomach felt as though it was being crushed in a blender. Without realising, Hermione was biting down on her lower lip and the sound of blood was thudding in her ears as her wand hand shook.

For a few fleeting moments her mind went blank and it almost felt as though she was floating and merely watching down on the scene from above. A part of her longed to stay in her mindless floating state but she had to at least try to protect her loved ones.

So as a burst of magic blew the front door open and the death eaters made their way inside, Hermione rejoined her mind and body preparing to take action.

She desperately cried out spell after spell as some of the death eaters circled her. The back door burst open but it was not the hooded figures that entered. Instead, Hermione recognised the chocolate skinned form of Kingsley Shacklebolt, bubblegum pink hair that could only belong to Tonks as well as a hint of Weasley red.

Knowing that it wasn't just her against the death eaters, hope flared within her and Hermione fought harder. As a stinging hex narrowly missed her, Hermione was dimly aware of a flash of green light. She had no idea who had been hit with the killing curse and right now she didn't want to know. She forced herself to keep fighting. There would be time to cry later if any of her family had been hurt or killed.

"Run Hermione!" She heard a male voice call, a voice she recognised but couldn't quite place. "Mione run! Transform!" The voice called again.

After stunning a death eater Hermione turned her head in the direction of the voice and her eyes landed upon Weasley red hair. Just as her mind registered the Weasley as Ron, she saw her friend drop his wand then fall to his knees cradling his bleeding stomach.

Time seemed to slow and it felt like an eternity before Hermione managed to fight her way over to the redhead's side. A death eater tried to block her path but Hermione kneed him in the groin before shoving him out of the way. She ducked to avoid a shot of red sparks then jumped over a lifeless body before kneeling by Ron's side and holding her friend in her arms.

His eyes were fluttering as he struggled to keep them open. A trail of saliva was journeying down his chin and soft whimpers were escaping his throat barely audible through the rest of the noise.

As Hermione made eye contact with Ron, time sped up again. The injured boy reached a shaking blood-covered hand up to the girl's face. Not caring about the blood, Hermione allowed him to touch her cheek as she stared down at him trying to remain calm.

"It's ok Ron." Hermione told him as the tears leaked from her eyes. "Just hold on, you'll be ok."

A spell flew towards them but Tonks dived in and blocked it protecting the two teens.

Holding her wand tightly, Hermione willed herself to remember a healing spell that would help Ron but nothing was coming to her. All she could think of were hexes, jinxes, curses and completely useless Ancient Runes translations.

"It's ok. It's ok. I'm here." Hermione said soothingly as she smoothed the ginger strands away from Ron's sweaty forehead.

"Mione." Ron whimpered obviously in agony.

"Ssh." Hermione soothed. "Ssh Ron. Everything's going to be ok. Just hold on."

Somewhere in Hermione's over-stimulated mind she registered that the house had become fairly quiet and no more spells were being thrown around.

"Mione." Ron pleaded his voice growing ever fainter and his skin deathly pale. "Will you…urgh…will you lie to me now…p-please."

Understanding what her friend was asking Hermione forced on a smile and moved her face closer to his.

"I love you Ron." She lied though she managed to sound sincere.

"Love you Mione." Ron answered softly as a peaceful smile crossed his mouth before his hand dropped from her face and the life left his eyes.

"Ron?" Hermione whispered tearfully as she gently shook the lifeless body in her arms. "Ron? Ron. Ron. Ron. RON!"

Somebody pulled her away from her friend's body and dragged her to her feet. She struggled in the stranger's arms before turning round to find the face of her father looking down at her apologetically.

"Hermione, he's dead." Mr. Granger told her gently.

"No." Hermione sobbed as she beat her tiny fists against her father's chest. "No! No! No! NO!"

"I'm sorry sweetheart." Mrs. Granger said as she joined her husband and daughter.

"Calm down. Calm down love." Mr. Granger soothed but Hermione was not ready to calm down.

She shoved her parents away from her before looking down at Ron's dead body again. Her heart stung and every part of her ached for the loss of her friend. Looking round the room her eyes landed upon her Grandpa. He was sprawled awkwardly on the floor unmoving but still giving off a smell of peppermint.

"Grandpa." She choked.

Someone, possibly her mum or dad, made another attempt to console her but Hermione shook the mystery persons arm off before letting out a strangled cry then bursting into her feline form and running as far away as she could.

**To Be Continued**

**(I'm sorry people, I love Ron so much, but I had to write at least 1 fic where I killed a member of the golden trio)**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs (and some tears for my Won-Won) IceQueenRia xxx**


	28. The Body

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing…well some of you Ron haters were heartless gits but most of you were sympathetic. Anyway, I'm not really too happy with how this chapter turned out, it seems too forced to me but I can't be bothered to attempt to make it better so you're stuck with it lol**

**Random fact about me: I love tuna chunks but I hate tuna flakes**

**Warning: an almost drowning that may be triggering to anyone who's attempted suicide**

**Chapter 28-The Body **

As soon as Hermione had darted out in her cat form, Tonks and Lupin had run out after her. Meanwhile, Kingsley was busy notifying the ministry as well as contacting the Weasley's. Barely five minutes had passed before the entire Weasley clang, minus Percy, showed up at the Granger's household.

Upon seeing her son, Molly let out a heart-wrenching sob as she collapsed by her son's body desperately trying to wake him up.

"Molly." Arthur spoke gently as he tried to pull his wife away.

"No." Molly wept as she brushed the ginger bangs away from Ron's face. "He's not…this can't be…this isn't real. A boggart. It's just a boggart."

A few feet behind them, Bill had his arms wrapped tight around Ginny as she sobbed into his chest. The twins were stood beside them with identical looks of devastation on their faces and Charlie looked as though he might vomit at any moment.

"I'm truly sorry." Kingsley apologised as he cast the grieving family a sad look.

"What was he even doing here?" Bill managed to ask unable to take his eyes away from his dead brother.

"He followed us." Doris spoke up from where she sat trying to console Mr. and Mrs. Granger. "When he heard Miss Granger was in danger he insisted on coming. We could not stop him."

"I promise you we tried." Kingsley told them. "But there wasn't much time and he refused to listen to us. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Arthur told him as he cradled his sobbing wife in his arms.

"Breaking the rules." Fred joked with a half a grin. "That's our Ronniekins."

"The kid would have made a great prankster." George said.

"Guys." Charlie sighed. "It's too early for jokes."

"I think the little man would have laughed." Fred replied.

"What h-happened to Her-hermione?" Ginny asked through her tears. "They didn't g-get her did they?"

"No." Kingsley told her. "Your brother died in her arms. She ran out afterwards. Remus and Tonks are out looking for as is Lucius Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Ginny blanched, sounding so much like Ron her family turned to gape at her for a few seconds.

"He's on our side Gin." Bill explained. "However the death eaters probably know he's the spy now."

"What do we do with…Ron?" Charlie asked.

"He's not my baby Ronald anymore." Molly wailed. "He's just a body. He's gone."

"The ones we love never truly leave us." Dumbledore declared as he apparrated into the room along with Severus. "Their memory lives on and they remain forever in our hearts."

"Where's Hermione?" Severus asked frantically and Bill turned to glare at the potions master for his lack of sensitivity over Ron's death and his mourning family.

"She ran out in her cat form." Kingsley answered. "Remus and Tonks are looking for her." The dark skinned wizard wasn't even able to finish his sentence before Severus had swept from the house in a whirl of robes.

"Someone should tell Harry." Fred said and his twin nodded in agreement.

"Percy too." Charlie said. "He should know."

"Bill, take Ginny back to headquarters." Arthur instructed. "She doesn't need to be here right now."

"I don't want to leave him." Ginny whimpered as she stared down at Ron's body. If she tilted her head to the side and squinted it almost looked as though her older brother was merely sleeping.

"Dad's right." Bill said. "You shouldn't be around all this stuff. You shouldn't be either." He told Charlie and the twins.

"Let me say goodbye." Ginny begged quietly and after a nod of consent from his father, Bill released Ginny from his hold.

She crouched down by Ron and rested a hand upon his chest, the lack of a heartbeat causing her a fresh tear. Ginny leaned down so her forehead rested on Ron's, her flaming red hair falling onto his neck. Had Ron still been breathing, the sensation would have tickled him.

"I'll miss you." Ginny whispered her breath ghosting over her deceased brother's lifeless form. "Where ever you are…be brave and be happy. I love you forever and…we'll be together to annoy one another again someday. Where ever you are, save me a seat and when the time comes I'll meet you there. Love you." Shedding another salty tear for her brother, Ginny pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before stepping back into the arms of her eldest brother.

***

As Hermione ran in her animagus form, her mind tormented her by remembering all the healing spells she hadn't been able to think of when they had been needed. Her head pounded with the knowledge that had she simply remembered these spells when she needed to, her friend might still be alive.

She could have saved him, she was sure of it. But her brain had failed her. Her mind had frozen and become blank as her fatally wounded friend bled to death in her arms.

Her thoughts then turned to the Weasley's. It pained her to think of how horribly the news of Ron's death would affect them. Would they blame her for his death?

Then there was Harry. Chosen one or not Hermione knew the emerald eyed boy would take it hard. For one so young, Harry had already lost so many, adding his first and best friend to the list could possibly destroy him.

Eventually, Hermione came to a stop by the harbour. Looking around quickly to ensure no muggles were in sight, Hermione returned to her human form. Standing by the edge of the dock, she looked down into the water.

She could just make out her reflection in the dirty water and the small hint of sun that peeked out from the winter clouds made her brunette curls look red in her watery reflection. Red, Weasley red.

Unable to stop it, a lump of vomit crawled up her throat and she wretched into the water. With a few tears streaming from her eyes she choked and spat out the odd chunk of puke.

Wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her navy blue jumper, Hermione wondered how her parents must be feeling at this moment. Not only had they been caught up in the death eater attack but they had lost Grandpa, witnessed their daughter's friend die in her arms before said daughter transfigured into a cat and ran as far away from home as possible.

At that moment, Hermione felt horrid and incredibly selfish. Her mum and dad must be so scared, confused and upset right now. They were also sure to be worrying about her just as they had when they'd been separated over the summer.

As she thought back to the previous summer a humourless laugh escaped her lips. Being trapped in her cat form in the company of Severus Snape had seemed like a nightmare. To begin with, she had thought that was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her and now here she stood struggling to see the good in her life.

All because of her, her Grandpa was dead, her parents had been put in mortal danger and one of her best friend's was dead. She knew that Ron must have heard that death eaters were planning to attack her and her family. He must have found away to follow Tonks and the others so he could protect her. As it happened, protecting Hermione had cost Ron his life. When he had desperately shouted for her to transform and run, he had been hit by a curse.

Hermione didn't know the identity of the death eater who had cursed Ron but she sincerely hoped that whoever he or she was met an incredibly painful end.

Looking down into the water again Hermione strongly considered jumping in. The water was sure to be freezing cold this time of year but she didn't care. Perhaps the cold temperature would help numb her pain. Without giving it any more thought, she set her wand down on the ground before stepping forward and diving in.

The water tightly encased her feeling like thousands of ice-cold knives stabbing at every inch of her skin. She kicked her legs and flailed her arms wildly to keep her head above the water. Her teeth were chattering together everything in her vision became an odd shade of grey.

Closing her eyes, Hermione took in a deep gulp of air before ceasing her movements and allowing herself to sink. For a few moments as the water clogged her lungs causing her to feel dizzy and lightheaded, she almost felt peaceful.

Then, the next thing she knew, she was back on land gasping for breath as a strong pair of arms wrapped a cloak round her. She then felt warmth spread throughout her body as a heating charm was cast over her.

With a groan she forced her eyes open and found deeply concerned black eyes staring back at her.

"Hermione?" A silky voice asked. "Hermione, can you hear me?"

"Sev-us." She managed to croak out.

"Here, let me carry her." A kind voice said.

"I've got her." Severus snapped as he held his student close to him.

"Severus." Lupin reasoned. "You're soaked to the bone from being in that water. You need to get warm too."

"I'm fine." He insisted.

"You're clothes are drenched." Tonks pointed out. "The cold and wet will only transfer onto Hermione. That isn't helping her when she needs to stay warm."

"Fine." Severus huffed in defeat as he carefully handed Hermione over to the werewolf.

Tonks then flicked her wand casting a drying spell over Severus's clothes and then a warming spell.

"Sev-us." Hermione mumbled again.

"I'm here." Severus assured her as he fell in to step beside Lupin. "I'm here."

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	29. Who Wants to Live Forever?

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: When I was younger, my brother told me that the lifeguards put sharks in the swimming pool if you stayed in too long. He told me this the day after I'd watched the film Jaws. **

**Chapter 29-Who Wants to Live Forever?**

By the time Lupin returned with Hermione in his arms and Severus and Tonks following close behind, just the Granger's, Dumbledore, Kingsley and a ministry official were at the house.

Ron and Grandpa's bodies had been moved, the Weasley's and other order members had left.

When they saw their daughter was safe, Mr. and Mrs. Granger both rushed towards her their relief clearly painted upon their faces. Lupin carefully handed Hermione over to Mr. Granger who transported his daughter to the sofa.

"Oh sweetheart, don't you ever run away like that again." Mrs. Granger sobbed as she clutched the young witch tight in her arms.

Severus was standing off to the side, his eyes fixed intently upon Hermione. He desperately longed to sit by her side and run his hands through her brown curls but he knew that would not be wise. A small whimper sounded from the young woman's throat and Severus felt a pang in his heart at the sound. Folding his arms across his chest, he turned his head in the opposite direction so the temptation to move over and comfort her would lessen. However, not being able to see Hermione only made his need to comfort her intensify and he soon twisted back round so he could look over her.

He felt Lupin step up beside him and the kind werewolf placed a hand on his shoulder. The gesture could have been intended as a form of reassurance or to ensure that Severus stayed where he was or perhaps a combination of both.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger." Dumbledore spoke up. "I'm afraid your house is not safe. You need to gather your things and leave. Tonight."

"No." Mr. Granger replied. "I will not be driven out of my home by a bunch of savage men waving pointy sticks."

"Darling." Mrs. Granger said. "Don't be so ridiculous. It's too dangerous to stay here."

"There is plenty of room for you at Headquarters." Dumbledore told them. "You will be safe there."

"I'll help gather your things." Tonks said before moving on upstairs along with Kingsley.

After a brief word with Dumbledore, the ministry official left and soon after Hermione sat up on the couch and looked around. Her eyes instantly landed on the spot Ron's body had been and she felt the pain and anguish sweep through her all over again. She moved in to her mother's warm embrace and hugged her tightly as she forced herself to look elsewhere.

Her eyes then travelled up to Severus'. They kept their gaze locked on one another until Tonks and Kingsley returned downstairs magically levitating the Grangers' suitcases.

From within his robes, Dumbledore produced a fragment of parchment that had a neatly written address on it. He showed it to Mr. and Mrs. Granger before taking hold of each of their elbows and taking them to Grimmauld place.

Shortly after, Tonks and Kingsley appeared in the street beside Dumbledore and the Granger's with all of their luggage. Half a minute later Severus and Lupin appeared along with Hermione.

They made their way up the garden path of number twelve and Kingsley rapped on the door. A few minutes later the door opened and they all stepped through, Tonks tripping over as she did so.

The group bustled along until they reached the kitchen where the Weasley's were gathered along with Harry and the Malfoy's.

"Hermione." Harry sighed before he rushed towards the girl and enveloped her in a strong hug. "I was so scared I'd lost you too."

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered as she clutched to him desperately. "It's my fault. I should have saved him. It's my fault."

"Don't say that." Harry told her. "It's not your fault. Not your fault. Not your fault." He repeated the words to her willing for her to believe them.

The atmosphere was tense within the kitchen and the Malfoy's excused themselves and headed up to their rooms. As Draco passed by he gently squeezed Harry's shoulder as well as Hermione's before silently following his parents.

Feeling awkward, Mr. and Mrs. Granger also left the kitchen and Tonks offered to show them to their rooms.

Kingsley, Lupin and Dumbledore left to tend to order business but Severus stayed where he was.

Still hugging Harry, Hermione looked around the kitchen realising for the first time what a mess it was in. Smashed plates littered the floor, chairs had been upturned, one cupboard door was hanging dangerously from its hinge and the bin had been knocked over with the contents scattered about the room.

Noticing how Hermione was scanning her eyes over the disarray, Harry pulled away from her and hung his head looking rather sheepish.

"When I heard…it took a while for me to calm down." Harry explained. "I messed up Dumbledore's office pretty bad as well…again."

Taking the boy's hands in hers Hermione noticed the bruising around his knuckles and guessed that he had punched a wall or two at some point upon hearing of Ron's death.

"I guess it's just you and me now." Hermione said quietly. "No more golden trio…just a duo."

"Just a duo." Harry echoed.

Wrapping her arms around Harry again Hermione buried her face in the crook of his neck. She had always imagined that she, Harry and Ron would be friends forever right up to the days when they were old and grey with no more teeth. Clearly that was not to be for Ron was gone before he'd even reached eighteen.

"The kitchen needs to be cleaned up." Molly announced before throwing herself into the task of tidying the kitchen the muggle way.

A few seconds later Ginny moved off of Bill's lap and helped her mother clean. Silently, the Weasley men joined in.

Tentatively, Hermione inched towards Molly who was crouched down sweeping up broken glass with a dustpan and brush.

"Can I help?" Hermione asked.

"Don't be silly dear." Molly answered kindly through tear-filled eyes with a shaky smile. "We can manage. You should…you should go and be with your parents. And Harry you should go and spend your time with Draco."

"Come on." Severus said placing a hand on each of his students' backs then leading them out of the room.

Once the kitchen door was closed, Severus dropped his hand from Harry's back but kept his other arm around Hermione. He then gave Harry a pointed look that clearly said he wanted the teen boy to leave them alone.

"I'm going to find Draco." Harry told Hermione. He squeezed her hand lightly before heading up the stairs.

Severus then guided Hermione towards the library and the two of them sat down. Curling her feet up on the old sofa, Hermione rested her head on the man's chest and he lightly ran his fingers through her hair.

Every time Hermione closed her eyes she could see Ron's lifeless face and the smell of his blood overwhelmed her. She strongly suspected that she'd have trouble sleeping tonight, maybe even for the rest of her life. Perhaps her friend's death would haunt her forever just as Severus was constantly tormented by nightmares. She then wondered if the man's nightmares consisted of the loss of a friend or family member but she didn't feel it would be appropriate to ask.

Looking down at her, Severus tried to think of something comforting to say. Of course, compassion wasn't his strong point so he stayed silent for a while.

His thoughts turned to the memory of her sinking beneath the water. Words could not express how thankful he was that Lupin had been able to track her scent in time.

"What were you thinking jumping into that water?" Severus asked her. "You nearly drowned you silly girl."

"Do you believe in heaven?" Hermione asked him choosing to ignore the question he'd directed at her.

In truth, Severus did not believe in heaven but he didn't think that was the answer Hermione wanted to hear.

"Yes." He lied. "I'm sure Mr. Weasley is there now thoroughly enjoying himself as he eats to his hearts content."

A hint of a smile twitched at the corner of Hermione's lips. All you can eat was definitely Ron's idea of heaven.

"My Grandpa." Hermione said. "He'll be there too right?"

"Of course." He told her. "He's probably reacquainting himself with your Grandmother and old friends as we speak."

"I like the thought of that." Hermione replied. "It certainly seems better then being down here. Life is hard, cruel and frightening. I can't understand why Voldemort is so determined to conquer death and live forever."

"Life isn't so demanding all the time." Severus assured her. "I understand that it doesn't seem like such a good thing to you now but that's because you've just lost two people you deeply cared for. We all have our tough moments that are filled with pain and heartache but there are good moments too. Happy moments filled with love and laughter. They are the moments we need to live for."

"You almost sound like Dumbledore." Hermione told him causing the man to scowl. "Do you think Ron blames me for his death?" She asked quietly turning serious once more.

"Don't be absurd. Of course he doesn't think that." Severus answered. "And you shouldn't let yourself think that either."

"But I didn't save him." Hermione argued. "He was there in my arms…shaking and bleeding…and all I could do was watch. I tried to think of a healing spell…I swear I tried but the one time I really needed to I couldn't. Then afterwards, when I was running, healing spells were the only things I could think of."

"That's not your fault." Severus told her sternly. "These things just happen. They are out of our control. Ronald would not have blamed you, his family doesn't blame you and Harry doesn't blame you. Did you fire the curse that ultimately caused his death?"

"No." Hermione answered.

"Then you are not responsible." He replied.

"It feels like I am." Hermione sighed.

Not knowing what to say, Severus just held her closer, eventually pulling her onto his lap. He pushed the hair out of her face then brushed her smooth cheek with his thumb before tracing the outline of her lips. As he so often did, Severus felt the overwhelming desire to kiss her. Normally, he resisted such temptations but not this time. He moved his hand from her lips and gently caressed her cheek before pressing his lips upon her own. She melted into him, her arms entwining around his neck as his moved to her waist. Her lips parted admitting his tongue access to her mouth.

As soon as the kiss had begun, it was over and Hermione had been pulled off of her teacher's lap and Severus had been punched in the jaw by a fuming Mr. Granger.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	30. Bad Man

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing, and gosh this chapter was so hard to write. I have no idea how her parents would react. One of my sister's has been with a teacher for 7 years but there was no fuss at all when they got together even though she was only 15 and he was 24. But whatever, I had a go at what Mr. Granger might react like **

**Random fact about me: My favourite teddy-bear is called 'Fluffy'**

**Chapter 30-Bad Man **

Hermione had always been a good girl. She was polite and she worked hard at school to achieve good grades. She would always help her mother clean up around the house and she always tidied her toys away. As a young child, Hermione had never kicked up a fuss about having to clean her teeth or having a bath or going to bed early. She was a good girl and always did as she was told. For this reason, her father had never had to shout at her so Hermione had never seen him angry, until now.

Mr. Granger was red with rage, his mouth was curled into a vicious snarl and his hands were balled into tight fists making the veins pop out. As Hermione looked up at him she found herself thinking that he didn't look like her father. He looked like a total stranger. Hermione half expected him to turn green like the incredible Hulk.

After the shock of being hit had worn off, Severus stood up to his full height and faced Hermione's father. It was clear from Severus' face that he wanted to hit the other man back but he dug his nails into his palms to prevent himself from doing so.

"Dad." Hermione said nervously. "I can explain."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Mr. Granger asked furiously as he glared daggers at Severus completely ignoring his daughter. "You're paid to teach, not to pervert my baby girl."

"Dad, it's not like that." Hermione spoke up only for her father to shush her.

"Hermione, go and find your mother." Mr. Granger told her. "I need to have a word with your professor."

She didn't like the way her father said that and she didn't want to leave Severus. She knew the older man could take care of himself but she didn't want two of the men she loved most to fight which she was certain they would do if she left them alone.

"Hermione, I told you to go." Mr. Granger reminded her.

"Please, let's just talk about this." Hermione begged. "We're not doing anything wrong. I'm eighteen dad, I'm an adult. I'm not your little girl anymore and you don't need to protect me."

"Do as your father says Hermione." Severus said calmly.

"But…Severus." Hermione replied not wanting to leave.

"Go." Mr. Granger and Severus said together sternly and Hermione's respect for authority figures forced her to obey.

Chewing her lower lip she walked to the library door. She turned to look at Severus over her shoulder but he didn't return her stare. The two men had their eyes locked on one another as though daring the other to make the first move. It sort of reminded Hermione of an old Western movie. Taking a last look, she stepped out and shut the door behind her and stood nervously on the other side.

She wondered if she should go and get some one just in case things became violent but she couldn't bring herself to move. She also thought it would be highly inconsiderate to involve any of the Weasley's given that they had just lost a brother and son.

Getting her mother wouldn't be much help as she'd surely be just as angry to learn of her daughter's inappropriate relationship with the potions professor. Did it even count as a relationship? They weren't really together but there was definitely more to their relationship than just student and teacher. If only Dumbledore were still here, he'd be able to calm her dad down and sort everything out.

A thud sound met her ears and Hermione flinched. It sounded as though a heavy book had been thrown. She heard a raised voice, her father's, he was shouting at Severus. Words like pervert and paedophile were shouted more than once as well the phrase 'she's just a child' and 'my baby girl'.

Her father stopped shouting for a while but Hermione could hear the sound of his footsteps pacing up and down. She knew it had to be her father because he was always heavy-footed where as Severus had light feet and moved as gentle as a passing shadow.

Hearing a faint murmur she assumed Severus was talking but she couldn't make out his words. He was either being very calm or his voice was dangerously low because he was past the point of anger.

Another loud noise erupted from within the room and Hermione winced. A few more bangs were heard, more books being thrown perhaps, and then a louder crash. Either the window had been smashed or one of the glass cabinets had been knocked over and broken.

Her father was yelling again and the noise attracted other occupants of the house. First to join Hermione in the hallway was a concerned looking Arthur. He was shortly followed by Bill, Tonks, Harry and the Malfoys and her mother.

After another loud thud sounded from the room accompanied by her father's furious yells, the rest of the Weasley clang turned up to investigate.

"Hermione?" Her mum asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Dad and Sev…I mean, professor Snape are…um…talking." Hermione answered lamely keeping her eyes fixed to the floor.

Draco and Harry exchanged a nervous look and Tonks' hair suddenly turned from green spikes to a tired wispy grey.

"I'm going in." Bill declared before stepping past Hermione and pushing the library door open.

Books were scattered around Severus so Hermione took that to mean her suspicions of her father throwing them at the potions master to be correct. There was no hint of glass but Severus had his wand out so he had probably repaired whatever had been smashed.

Her father was on the floor under the full body-bind. Hermione frowned at Severus for putting her father under the enchantment but she knew it was merely in self-defence. It was Bill who moved forwards and ended the spell before helping Mr. Granger to his feet. He lunged for Severus again but Bill easily held the muggle back.

"What on earth is going on?" Mrs. Granger demanded to know looking between her husband, the potions teacher and her daughter.

"Him!" Mr. Granger bellowed pointing an accusing finger at a bored looking Severus. "I caught him with my baby girl. He was kissing her. His hands were all over her. I'll kill him. I'll kill him!"

"Well, well, Severus, you have been misbehaving haven't you." Lucius commented in a voice of dark amusement.

"Lucius." Narcissa said warningly and her husband pursed his lips and fell silent.

"This is ridiculous." Mrs. Granger said as she stepped over to her daughter placing her hands on her shoulders. "There must be some mistake."

"Mum." Hermione said quietly turning to look up at her mother.

"That's right Hermione." Mr. Granger said still struggling in Bill's strong arms. "Be a good girl. Tell your mum what the bad man did."

"Bad man." Lucius repeated with a snigger earning himself another glare from his wife.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Hermione said. "He didn't force me to kiss him. I wanted to. I love him."

Upon hearing Hermione's words the twins pretended to vomit, just as Ron would have done. Bill, Charlie and Arthur's eyebrows shot up meeting their hairlines, Tonks' hair changed to a mix of black and brown curls, Molly looked ready to faint and had to sit down whilst Ginny looked unsurprised.

Lucius rolled his eyes at the young girl's declaration, Narcissa chose to admire her nails, Draco smirked and Harry looked as though he wanted to cry and laugh at the same time but did neither and simply looked as though he'd been hit with a confundus charm.

All colour drained from Mrs. Granger's face and in a sharp contrast to his wife, Mr. Granger turned a shocking shade of purple.

Then there was Severus who kept his face impassive but if someone had chosen that moment to rest their hand upon his chest they would feel his heart beating a fraction faster.

"You don't love him." Mr. Granger snapped. "He's messing with your head, he's using you. You're just a baby Hermione you don't know what you want and you don't know what you feel."

"Yes I do." Hermione retorted placing her hands on her hips. "I'm eighteen years old dad, not eight. I can't be your little girl forever. You have to let me grow up…I have grown up. Mum, you understand don't you?"

"Hermione, sweetheart…he's too old for you." Mrs. Granger replied in a whisper but the others still heard.

"Well Hermione's very mature for her age." Draco spoke up as if that would solve everything.

"So your daughter's in love with a teacher." Lucius said mockingly. "How tragic. You should think yourselves lucky. My son is in love with the boy-who-won't-die, now that's an embarrassment."

"Hey!" Harry and Draco complained together.

"I think it would probably be best if we give the Granger's some privacy." Arthur stated as he directed everybody out but Ginny stayed.

"This is disgusting." Mr. Granger said looking as though he wanted to attack Severus again. "It's wrong. I can't think of anything worse."

"I've just lost my brother." Ginny told him. "And my parents have lost a son. In a few days they'll have to bury one of their children. You still have your daughter and she's found somebody she loves who loves her in return. From where I'm standing that seems like a good thing."

With that said Ginny turned on her heel and left the room. Mrs. Granger hugged Hermione to her and Mr. Granger looked guilty and sheepish. In his anger he had forgotten all about the red-haired family who had just lost a brother and son. He had been completely insensitive.

He still didn't like the thought of a grown man touching his daughter and he was by no means happy by whatever it was that was happening, but little Miss Weasley was right, he still had his daughter and for that he should be grateful.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	31. A HalfEaten Chocolate Frog

**Disclaimer-I still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone.**

**Warning: Parts of this chapter may be distressing/triggering for anyone who has or knows of someone who has or is battling with bulimia**

**Random fact about me: I wore a pink dress to my prom and the guy I had a crush on wore a white suit with a pink tie and the pink was the exact same colour as my dress lol**

**Chapter 31-A Half-Eaten Chocolate Frog **

The pot was pretty. Simple yes, but still pretty. It was set down on the table top at the moment. Finding a proper place for it was still in debate. Reaching a hand out, Hermione traced a finger around the rim before letting her hand drop to the wood of the table. It felt strange, creepy almost, to have the pot in front of her yet at the same time it was oddly comforting.

It was made from marble and beautifully painted. Hermione felt it would have made for a beautiful vase to play home to an arrangement of flowers. Alas, it was not designed for any floral use but for the ashes. Grandpa's ashes.

Letting out a sigh, Hermione lightly fingered the painted design on the urn wondering if her Grandpa would have liked it. She looked around the kitchen and her eyes landed on the vase of flowers by the windowsill. The flowers looked weak and frail but Molly was soon filling the vase with fresh water, complete with a hint of magic-grow, and the flowers were in full bloom again despite it being winter. Hermione sorely wished the water could bring Grandpa and Ron back to life as it did the flowers.

Of course, she knew that was not possible. Both were gone. Her dear old toothless Grandpa was now just a pile of ashes resting forever in an urn. As for Ron, he would be buried tomorrow at The Burrow. His coffin had been handmade by the Weasley men, even Percy had put aside his differences with the family to help and pay respects to his younger brother. Knowing of Ron's fear for spiders, the twins had even placed a charm on the coffin to ensure no arachnids could ever enter and disturb Ron's corpse.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Ginny. The redhead smiled softly at her as she moved into the spare seat beside her. With everything that had been going on the two girls hadn't really had a chance to talk so Hermione took the opportunity to thank the younger girl for what she had said to her dad.

Of course, her father still didn't approve of Severus but he had come to realise that a daughter in love with an older man was better than no daughter at all.

"You didn't seem that surprised." Hermione pointed out still keeping her eyes on her Grandpa's urn. "When everyone found out about me and Severus, you didn't look too shocked."

"I already knew." Ginny admitted. "Ron told me."

Hermione simply nodded in response, the sound of her late friend's name creating yet another sting to her heart.

"I already miss him so much." Ginny said as she thought about her brother.

"I know." Hermione replied. "Me too. I can't imagine how I'm going to live the rest of my life without him."

"It still doesn't feel real to me yet." Ginny told her quietly. "Sometimes I sit at the breakfast table waiting for him to come in and stuff his face with food. I guess that's stupid."

"It's not stupid Gin." Hermione said. "I think things like that too. This morning I made my Grandpa a cup of tea before I remembered he wasn't here to drink it. And the other night I couldn't sleep so I walked down to… to Ron's old room… I just stood outside by the door and for a few moments I was almost positive that I could hear him snoring."

"Harry hasn't even set foot in that room." Ginny commented. "He's been rooming with Draco instead. I suppose being in the room he shared with Ron must be too painful. I don't know how he'll cope when we get back to Hogwarts. That dorm room has almost seven years worth of memories."

***

Dinner was a quiet affair. The occupants of Grimmauld Place were gathered around the kitchen table silently eating Molly's delicious food. No-one made an effort to talk. It didn't feel right somehow. But the silence was excruciating.

Severus was not there. He had left to attend a death eater meeting. Although Lucius had been discovered as a spy, Severus' position was still safe.

Since the library incident, Hermione had not had a chance to speak to the man she had professed her love for. He had been busy with order business and was often coming and going with no time to socialize.

Part way through dinner, the silence was broken by the sounds of Molly sobbing. Everybody turned to stare at her and Arthur gently ran his fingers through his wife's hair trying to comfort her.

"This was his favourite food." Molly said as she pushed her dinner around her plate.

Hermione looked to her mother and an understanding seemed to pass through them and they stood up to leave the room. Mr. Granger followed suit along with Harry and the Malfoys leaving the Weasley family alone.

"I hadn't even finished eating." Lucius complained once they had left the kitchen.

"Have some respect." Narcissa hissed at him as she led the way to the lounge area.

She took a seat in the middle of one of the sofas and beckoned for Draco and Harry to sit either side of her. Hermione sat between her parents on a second sofa. Lucius made to go and sit in the armchair but Narcissa stopped him.

"You can stand." She said.

"Narcissa." Lucius spluttered obviously embarrassed about the lack of authority he had over his wife.

"That's what you get for being so rude dear husband of mine." Narcissa told him with a grin that put Harry and Hermione in the mind of Sirius.

"Have I told you I love you today oh darling wife of mine?" Lucius asked.

"No you have not." Narcissa replied.

"Hmm, I can't imagine why." Lucius responded.

"For that comment you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight." Narcissa told him with a wide smile.

Hermione looked at Draco to gauge his reaction to his parents' behaviour and found that the blonde simply looked amused. When he caught Hermione staring at him he smiled lightly.

"They love each other really." He said.

***

Knowing that Ron's funeral would take place the next day, Hermione struggled to find sleep that night. Every time she placed her head on her pillow all she could see was Ron's face.

Through the night she had a number of small fitful dreams before waking again. She'd toss and turn for a while before gradually falling into another restless dream before waking again.

A few of the dreams were of what happened the day of Ron and her Grandpa's deaths. Her memory played out in her dream sometimes in slow motion and sometimes in fast motion. She also dreamt of the events turning out differently. In one dream, she was able to save Ron and her Grandpa both. In another dream she died along with them and in another she was the only one to die. However, the worst dream of all was the one where everybody died and she was the only one to survive.

When morning finally arrived, Hermione dragged herself out of bed. She gently crossed the room to wake up Ginny. The redhead let out a groan and pulled the covers back over her head. _Just like Ron _Hermione thought fondly.

She left Ginny to sleep for a while and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Her heart gave a painful jolt when she spotted a half empty bottle of shampoo that she knew belonged to Ron. Taking it in her hands, she squirted some of the contents onto her hair and massaged it into her curls. Maybe it was insensitive for her to use his shampoo, or maybe it was exactly the right thing to do. She supposed different people would think of it in different ways. However, today was about Ron and she was sure he wouldn't mind.

Clean and fresh, she emerged from the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She quickly made her way back to her room and dressed in black for the funeral spraying on some perfume Ron had given her. After combing her hair into a semi-neat bun she gently shook Ginny awake.

This time the younger girl stretched and got out of her bed before heading to the shower. Hermione waited for her and when Ginny was ready they linked arms and quietly made their way down to the kitchen. Narcissa had offered to make the breakfast today but Mrs. Granger had to step in and take over after the blonde woman had burnt a total of four fried eggs.

Harry was already seated at the table and Hermione took the chair next to him. She reached across and squeezed his hand gently before pouring herself a glass of juice.

When breakfast was over, they made their way to The Burrow in small groups. Hermione arrived with Harry, Ginny and Bill. A small congregation was gathered in the Weasley's back garden. Most of the guests sported Weasley red hair and were obviously distant relatives she and Harry hadn't met before.

Dumbledore was also there along with McGonagall, Flitwick, Moody and Severus. A number of Order members were in attendance including the likes of Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley. Hermione also spotted Luna with a man who could only be her father as well as Neville and his Gran.

Although Hermione desperately wanted to speak to Severus, she knew now was not an appropriate time, so instead she linked her fingers through Harry's and the two found themselves a seat.

When everybody had arrived and taken a seat, Dumbledore moved up to the podium. There was no twinkle in his eye and his arms were not spread in welcome as they always were when he made a speech at Hogwarts. His normally colourful robes had been changed for a respectful black and he looked older than usual as he stood before them.

Somehow, Hermione stayed strong throughout the ceremony not shedding a single tear. She wondered if that was bad of her for not crying. Everybody stepped up to Ron's coffin to say their last farewells before he was lowered into the earth. People threw flowers down onto the casket and his immediate family all scooped a handful of soil before dropping it onto the coffin.

It was then left to Bill, Charlie and the twins to completely cover the coffin. Hermione stood by as they worked then sat down on her knees by the patch of earth Ron lay beneath after they were finished digging.

The weather was cold and she was shivering but she still couldn't bring herself to move just yet. She sensed someone approaching and a warm cloak was draped across her shoulders. She didn't even have to look to know it was Severus. Pulling the man's cloak tight around her shoulders she leaned back against his chest seeking comfort from his warmth and his presence.

Neither spoke a word to the other. They simply sat quietly by Ron's graveside until Arthur stepped out telling Hermione it was time to return to Grimmauld Place.

Without a word, Hermione stood up and headed back to the house. When they returned to Headquarters, dinner was waiting for them. She looked round behind her but saw only Arthur and no sign of Severus.

"He had things to do." Arthur told her gently as he guided her to a seat.

Looking down at her plate Hermione felt no desire to eat. She simply didn't feel hungry. She pushed her food around for a while before her mother gently asked her to try and eat a little.

"I'm not hungry." Hermione sighed but she did as her mum asked and took a small bite.

After chewing the sausage down and swallowing she looked around the dishes that covered the table. Leaning across she reached for the plate of sausages and slipped another three onto her plate. She then served herself a huge dollop of mash potato then a mountain of peas. The others looked at her oddly as she loaded her plate with food before picking up her knife and fork and shovelling it into her mouth at a fast pace barely even taking the time to chew. Once her plate was cleared she went for seconds just as Ron would do before finishing that off then dishing herself a large amount of pudding. She ignored the stares and wolfed it down, almost choking a few times.

"Herms, slow down," Draco advised her. "You're going to make yourself… "

"Sick." Lucius completed his son's sentence as everything Hermione had eaten landed back onto her plate in the form of vomit.

"Nice." George commented.

"Lovely." Fred joked. "I'll have some of that if you don't mind Hermione."

Ignoring them, Hermione took out her wand and cleared the mess away before heading up to the bathroom to wash her face and clean her teeth.

When she was feeling better she headed down to the library with the hopes of reading a book to take her mind off things. However, the world of literature failed her and she just could not lose herself in the magic creativity of word.

Giving up, she carefully placed the book back on itself before heading upstairs. She had intended to go on straight to her room but found herself stopping outside the room that had been Ron's. After several minutes of staring at the door she reached her hand out and turned the handle. She pushed the door open and stepped inside before flicking on the light.

Looking at Ron's bed she saw that it was a classic Ronald mess. She managed a smile at the sight as she moved further into the room. She sat Indian style on the mattress and wrapped the quilt around herself. Closing her eyes she could almost imagine from the smell that it was Ron who holding her. Almost, only almost.

Part of her itched to remake the bed because she hated seeing things in such a mess but she couldn't do it. This wasn't just any bed; it was Ron's bed, the last one he had ever slept in. Moving off, Hermione arranged the quilt back in the messy heap she had found it.

Turning her attention to his bedside table she spotted a half-eaten chocolate frog. She picked it up and lifted it to her mouth before taking a small bite. As the chocolate melted on her tongue the tears finally fell and she collapsed to her knees crying hysterically as she finished off the chocolate frog.

The sound of a creaking floorboard alerted her to someone else's presence and she turned her head to find Harry. He quickly moved over to her and dropped down by her side enveloping her in a strong hug.

"I miss him too." Harry told her gently as she cried in his arms. "But we have to be strong. Be strong for Ron."

"I can't." Hermione sobbed. "I c-can't… I can't."

"You can." Harry assured her. "We both can. It's just you and me now girl. We can do this Mione. We _will _do this."

Hermione wasn't fully sure what the boy meant by 'this' but she chose to nod at his words as she hugged him tighter.

"I love you so much Harry." She whimpered. "You're my best friend."

"Love you too." Harry replied softly. "Love you too."

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	32. A New Year

**Disclaimer-I'm not J.K Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing**

**Random fact about me: I only eat cheese on toast if there's pepper on it and the toast is cut into four**

**Chapter 32-A New Year **

It was a new year and a fresh term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The train ride had been fairly quiet. Hermione, Harry, Ginny and Draco had shared a compartment together and for the first time ever they had not been interrupted by other students.

However, when they entered the Great Hall, numerous heads turned to stare at them and whispers broke out among the student body. As she walked to the Gryffindor table Hermione caught a string of words as well as several mentions of Ron's name, each one causing her heart to clench painfully.

As she took her seat between Harry and Ginny her eyes swept over to the staff table. Slowly, Severus turned to look in her direction. One side of her mouth lifted up into a half-smile as she made eye-contact with him. Though he did not smile back his mouth did become less thin.

Once everybody had found a seat, Dumbledore moved to stand before them all spreading his arms in greeting as he welcomed them back. The twinkle was back in his eye and he was wearing his favoured bright purple robes.

For a small moment, Hermione felt a rush of anger towards the Headmaster. How could he stand and smile with that trademark twinkle in his eye when Ron was not here to stuff his face with food. Her anger did not last for long. Soon enough it had transformed into envy. At that moment she would have given anything to be able to smile with twinkling eyes seemingly without a care in the world. But she soon realised that she was being foolish. Dumbledore was far from care-free. The weight of an entire school rested upon his shoulders as well as the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione was only suffering the pain of losing a Grandpa and a friend. Dumbledore no doubt suffered the pain of every loss in this war no matter what side the loss was on.

It was only when everyone around her started talking and eating that Hermione realised Dumbledore had finished speaking. She hadn't even heard a word of what he said. Looking down at her plate she found there was already a small portion of food on it.

"Eat." Harry told her gently so she assumed it was he who made her plate up. She took small bites hardly even tasting what she was eating.

The Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were alive with chatter and laughter. The Gryffindor table on the other hand was quiet and awkward. Even Lavender and Parvati were managing to keep their normally non-stop talking mouths shut.

When pudding was served Hermione selected herself a bowl of strawberry ice-cream. In truth she wasn't all that fond of strawberry and after a few spoonfuls she simply watched the ice-cream melt. When it had melted into a liquid she found that the pink colour matched the blush Ron's face would turn when he laughed too much. Why did everything have to remind her of him?

Sometime later when the food had disappeared, Dumbledore ushered everybody off to bed. As everyone moved around her Hermione stayed seated.

"Mione?" Harry asked resting a hand on her shoulder.

"She's waiting for him." Ginny whispered casting a brief glance to Snape.

"Oh." Harry said in understanding. "Ok, goodnight Hermione."

"Night." Hermione managed to return as her friends left.

Finally standing up, Hermione made her way across the hall and fell in to step beside Severus. Without looking at her or saying anything he led the way to his office then through to his chambers.

As soon as she stepped inside Crookshanks rushed over to Hermione. A proper smile formed on her face as she crouched down to pet her cat. He licked her face happily and Hermione cuddled him to her chest for a while.

"He missed you." Severus stated.

Looking up at him Hermione got the impression that the Potions Master was really trying to say 'Imissed you'.

"I missed him too." Hermione replied and she was sure Severus understood that to mean that she had missed him.

"How have you been sleeping since… the events?" Severus asked tactfully.

"I've hardly been sleeping at all." Hermione admitted. "When I do manage to fall asleep I'm tormented by that day. That usually wakes me up so I haven't really had a decent night's sleep since before Christmas."

Meeting her professor's eye, Hermione found an all too understanding look on his face. She also noticed that he looked as tired as she felt. Clearly he hadn't been sleeping either. Of course, from what she had discovered during her stay at Severus' house the past summer, the man seldom ever slept peacefully and when he did it was only through a potion or because she was in the bed beside him.

"Perhaps you should stay here tonight." Severus suggested. "You may sleep better here. You'll need to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. It makes sense."

"As long as you don't hog the covers." Hermione told him jokingly.

"Just go and get your stuff." He ordered in his teacher voice.

Nodding, Hermione left with Crookshanks following behind her. Out in the corridor, Hermione transfigured into her own feline form and she and Crookshanks raced one another to the rooms she shared with Draco. Returning to her human form she gave the password before stepping inside. Draco was sat on the sofa waiting for her.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"Sorry." She apologised. "Um - I'll be staying with Severus tonight."

Draco nodded seeming to have expected this. He stood up and stretched out his limbs before heading towards the stairs that led to his room, Crookshanks following him.

"Oh are you staying with me tonight Crooky?" Draco asked as he stroked the cat's head. "Cool, it's nice to know you like me better."

"You nicknamed my cat Crooky?" Hermione asked indignantly.

The blonde just smirked at her before gathering Crookshanks into his arms and heading on up.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He called down to her.

Hermione frowned at his retreating back before quickly summoning her night things. She stepped out of the portrait hole, morphed into her animagus form and quickly made her way back to Severus.

***

The Gryffindor common room fell silent as Harry and Ginny stepped inside. Harry kept his eyes downwards but Ginny held her head high. Taking Harry's hand she led him up to the seventh year boys' dormitory. Upon entering they found that Neville, Seamus and Dean were already there unpacking their things.

"Hi mate." Dean said patting Harry on the back. "Ginny."

"Um… good Christmas?" Seamus asked and the others turned to gape at him. "Shite, of course not. Sorry, I'm such an arse."

"It's alright Seamus." Ginny told him.

"Harry." Neville spoke up turning round to get something. "One of the house-elves left this for you."

He handed the badly wrapped package over and Harry released Ginny's hand to read the note that was stuck to the top of it.

"To Mister Harry Potter Sir." He read aloud. "I is deeply sorry to hear about your Wheezy. I is hoping this will be making Mister Harry Potter smile. From Dobby."

Removing the paper, Harry found a painting that the house-elf had obviously done himself. The painting was of two wizards and a witch. The splash of red hair indicated that it was Ron in the middle whilst the glasses and lightening bolt scar on the left was obviously Harry leaving the bushy brown spirals as Hermione on the right.

"He's even given Ron a maroon jumper." Ginny commented as she looked over Harry's shoulder at the painting.

"Yeah." Harry chuckled lightly as he carefully placed the painting on the wall. "Ron would have liked it. I'll have to thank Dobby tomorrow."

"Ginny?" Dean asked tentatively and she turned to face him. "I don't mean to be rude but I kind of want to get changed for bed."

"Ok." Ginny replied not moving from where she was standing.

"Um Gin, I was hoping you would leave so I could change." Dean said.

"Dean, I have six… I mean I grew up with six brothers." Ginny replied. "I've seen it all before, there's no need for embarrassment."

"I'm not embarrassed." Seamus told her and he was soon stripping naked then crawling into bed.

"He does that a lot." Neville told Ginny apologetically.

"Shut up Longbottom." The Irish boy said from where he lay. "You're all just jealous because you're not as well hung as I am."

Ginny giggled a little whilst the other boys rolled their eyes. Dean and Neville gathered their night clothes and moved to the bathroom to change.

"I'll be back in a minute." Ginny told Harry.

Whilst she was gone, Harry took the time to change then quickly brush his teeth. When Ginny returned she was in her pyjamas. She made her way over to Ron's old bed and after a few minutes of silent contemplation she climbed in.

"Night boys." She called out.

"Night." They all returned as Dean put the lights out.

Through the darkness, Harry peered over at Ginny. He watched her for a while and his ears were soon greeted with the sound of her soft snores. It was the closest thing to having Ron back in the dorm.

***

When Hermione returned to Severus' rooms he was already in his sleep pants and vest, both black. She was wearing a navy-blue silk nightdress with black lace across the breast area. She stood hesitantly in the bedroom doorway until he beckoned her inside with a crook of his finger.

"Thank you." Hermione said. "For letting me stay I mean."

"You're welcome." He told her.

They stood on opposite sides of the bed both feeling a little uncertain though neither willing to admit it. Although they had shared a bed before this seemed different somehow.

In the end it was Severus who made the first move, he was the man after all. He pulled the quilt covers back and told her to get in. She did as she was told and made herself comfy on the mattress. He slid in beside her then whispered a spell that turned off the lights.

To begin with, they were both flat on their backs staring up at the ceiling with a large gap between them as they listened to one another's breathing. Severus then rolled on to his side and gently encouraged Hermione to move towards him. She curled herself around him and he ran a hand through her curls before tucking his hand under her chin and lifting her face up.

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before moving down to pepper kisses along her jaw-line then down to her neck. He then moved back up before claiming her lips again, this time adding more pressure.

"Goodnight." Severus told her softly.

"Night." She whispered back. "I love you."

His heart continued to beat and Hermione could still hear the sound of his breathing. Other than that, Severus remained silent.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	33. Do Not Enter

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story… unless you aren't enjoying the story, in which case **_**why **_**are you still reading?**

**Random fact about me: It takes me about 5 minutes to come up with my ever lame chapter titles**

**Chapter 33-Do Not Enter **

In the morning, Hermione awoke well-rested but alone. She thought perhaps Severus was in the shower but she couldn't hear the water running. Standing up, she turned around and remade the bed the muggle way. She then gathered her things and slipped out the bedroom door. There was still no sign of the spy so Hermione continued on to his office then stepped out into the corridor. In the form of Katrina she made her way quickly back to her head-girl room to dress and prepare for the day.

Accompanied by Draco she made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Upon looking in she found that Severus was sitting in his usual place at the staff table having a quiet talk with Dumbledore.

Saying goodbye to Draco, Hermione joined Harry at the Gryffindor table and he told her about his gift from Dobby.

"I'm going to visit him and say thank-you later." Harry said. "At break time maybe. Do you want to come?"

Smiling, Hermione nodded before selecting herself a slightly burnt slice of toast.

***

The first lesson of the day was Potions. As Hermione set her things up her eyes travelled over to Ron's empty desk and she felt a pang in her heart.

When Severus swooped inside with his robes billowing out behind him he immediately set them to work. The potion he had assigned them to make required the utmost concentration and even the likes of Hermione and Draco struggled with it.

For this, Hermione was thankful. Her attention was so captured by the challenge before her that she didn't have time to think about her deceased friend.

At the end of the lesson, Hermione had produced a perfect potion and she beamed in satisfaction. As she caught her professor's eye she was almost certain that she saw a look of pride cross his features but he soon morphed his expression back into his usual scowl.

During break, Hermione, Harry and Ginny took a visit to the kitchens so that Harry could thank Dobby for the painting. The tiny house-elf was visibly pleased to see the boy-who-lived and eagerly offered him and his two friend's delicious snacks and drinks.

The three of them accepted a bottle of butterbeer each and all picked out an exquisite looking piece of cake.

"To Ron." Ginny said holding up her cream and chocolate éclair.

"To Ron." Hermione and Harry echoed holding up their own cakes before all three took a large bite.

Hermione giggled slightly as a dollop of cream dropped down her chin and she caught it in her hands before licking it off her fingers. They sat with Dobby talking happily before leaving to attend their next lessons.

It felt good to be back at school with her work to focus on. When Hermione was busy working her mind had no time to drift to Ron or her Grandpa. Of course, she couldn't study forever. Eventually, the school day finished and she didn't have nearly enough homework to occupy her for long.

Only Severus and McGonagall had handed out homework and she had both assignments completed within two hours.

"I'm going to take a walk." She told Harry and Draco and they nodded to her and told her to be careful.

Grabbing her scarf and coat, Hermione left her room and hurried down the moving staircases out into the chilly evening. Her feet directed her towards the quidditch pitch and her mind was attacked with memories of Ron soaring through the air on his broomstick as he played Keeper for the Gryffindor team.

"I wonder who they'll pick to replace him." Hermione thought aloud before turning around and walking in the other direction.

She came across the Whomping Willow and remembered the time in third year when Sirius had dragged Ron into the tree by his leg. Shifting into her feline shape, Hermione darted through the branches and pressed her paw down on the knot that stilled the violent tree. She crawled through the gap then travelled through until she entered the Shrieking Shack.

Standing up in her human form she climbed the stairs and entered the room with the large four-poster bed. She slumped down onto the mattress and unwound her scarf from her neck and hugged it to her chest; it was the one Ron had given her as a Christmas present.

In her eighteen years of life, the only people Hermione had lost were her Grandpa and Ron. The rest of her Grandparents had died when she was very young and she had no memory of them. Harry on the other hand had lost far too many people already. Even though he had never known his parents, their loss still pained him dearly. Then in fourth year he had witnessed Cedric Diggory die. The two may not have been close friends but understandably the older boy's death had cut Harry deep. Then in fifth year he had lost Sirius, the closest thing he had to a father. Now he had lost Ron, his first ever friend.

"How does Harry cope?" Hermione asked herself.

Turning onto her side Hermione looked around at the shabby room. The floor was powdered with a thick layer of dust. Everything was messy and dirty. It needed to be cleaned.

Getting up, Hermione got to work. She did what she could by hand and the rest she did with magic. By the time she was finished the room looked presentable and not a speck of dust was in sight. She had repaired all the broken furniture, made the bed and cleaned the floor. The place now seemed cosy almost.

Perhaps this could be a little hide-away for her, somewhere to come when she needed to be alone. Satisfied with her work, she pulled her coat and scarf back on then left, shifting into her animagus form as she did so.

When she emerged from the Whomping Willow, she spotted a raven flying through the sky heading out of Hogwarts. _Severus _she thought. _Death eater meeting._

Filled with worry about Severus she prowled through the school corridors, hissing at Mrs. Norris along the way, and then entered the Potion Master's office. Transforming back into a girl, she made her way into his quarters and sat down on the sofa in front of the fire.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sat there simply staring at the red and orange flames when she found herself with company. Looking up her eyes met with the kind old face of Professor Dumbledore. It didn't surprise her for she knew he was the only one besides her who had access to Severus' chambers. Even if the Potions Master didn't permit the Headmaster access to his rooms Hermione was sure Dumbledore would find a way in.

"You seem troubled Miss Granger." Dumbledore commented as he sat Indian style upon the rug.

"I'm worried about him." Hermione replied.

"I assume you mean Severus." Dumbledore said and she nodded in confirmation. "He is an intelligent man and more powerful than many realise. I am sure no harm will come to him."

"You're only saying that to make me feel better." Hermione sighed. "Really you're just as worried about him as I am."

"That is true." Dumbledore acknowledged with a slight incline of his head. "Now tell me, what else is on your mind. It seems you're upset about something and I don't mean the losses of your Grandpa or young Ronald. Something else is causing your brow to wrinkle."

Hermione shifted in her seat wondering how Dumbledore always seemed to know everything. Perhaps the man was just highly observant or maybe he didn't know anything at all. Maybe he just made lucky guesses all the time.

"I told him I loved him." Hermione confessed. "I told Severus I loved him and he didn't say it back."

"Does that really surprise you?" Dumbledore asked her causing the girl to frown. "Severus does not like to wear his heart on his sleeve my dear. He must prefers to keep his heart safely locked within an opaque box in a large room with a strong oak door. And that door has a thousand locks with a thousand keys and each key is hidden in somewhere in a large enchanted castle. That castle is surrounded by a moat and that moat is circled by a giant thorn bush. Then there is a high brick wall complete with a large red sign proclaiming 'Do Not Enter!' Just because he doesn't say he loves you back doesn't mean he does not. Severus is and always has been very guarded. Although he cares for people a great deal he is not willing to let it show."

"But I want it to show." Hermione replied. "I want to hear him say that he loves me."

"And you will." Dumbledore said. "When Severus is ready."

"I know so little about him." Hermione pointed out. "We know so little about each other. Do you think that matters?"

"Not at all." Dumbledore smiled. "You have the rest of your lives to learn about one another. Of course, no matter how much two people are in love, they will never learn everything there is to know about each other. That would be impossible. Some things will always remain a mystery."

Not knowing how to respond Hermione simply settled for smiling and the Headmaster twinkled his eyes at her before turning his attention to plaiting his long beard.

A small rumbling sound met Hermione's ears and it took a while to realise it was her stomach; she had skipped dinner in favour of tidying up the Shrieking Shack.

Snapping his fingers, Dumbledore summoned a house-elf and politely requested a plate of food for Hermione. She thanked him and Dumbledore smiled before patting her lightly on the head then leaving the room.

In no time at all the house-elf was back with Hermione's dinner. She ate alone in Severus' rooms hoping that he would return home safely from his encounter with Voldemort.

After taking a shower, Hermione made herself comfortable in Severus' bed wearing one of his shirts. As she settled her head down on the pillows, the older man's lingering scent enabled her to drift off to a semi-peaceful sleep.

Whilst Hermione lightly dozed in the comfort of her professor's bed, said professor was currently on his knees before the Dark Lord writhing in agony as he was subjected to the cruciatus curse. Of course, in true Severus Snape style, the Potions Master refused to let even the smallest whimper of pain escape his lips.

**The End haha, just kidding, I'm not **_**that **_**cruel**

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	34. Not Slytherin Enough

**Disclaimer-Harry + Potter = Not Mine**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone**

**Random fact about me: I accidentally walked into the boys' changing rooms after a swimming lesson when I was 8**

**Warning: Suggestions of male rape**

**Chapter 34-Not Slytherin Enough **

To be unconscious, what a mercy that would have been. Of course, the Dark Lord was not known to be merciful. He wanted Severus to feel every single ounce of pain he forced upon him, and feel it he did. His bruised and battered form ached right from the hairs on his flesh to the marrow of his bones.

Still, even as the fingers of his left hand were broken individually, even as both his ankles were snapped between the Dark Lord's hands, even as his blood was spilled and parts of his flesh burned, Severus Snape did not vocalise his agony.

As soon as the Potions Master had arrived in the dark wizard's lair, he had known then that he would not be leaving unscathed. Ironically enough, the most feared professor to ever sweep through the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Head of Slytherin House, the assumed cold-hearted bastard Severus Tobias Snape wasn't Slytherin enough.

Had he been a true Slytherin at his core he would not be crumpled on the ground at Tom Riddle's feet. If Severus was a proper Slytherin, or at least the stereotypical idea of what made a 'proper' Slytherin, he'd be on his feet at the Dark Lord's side aiming his wand at some other unfortunate soul. In fact, he could even be safe at Hogwarts with Hermione Granger wrapped in his arms.

Upon arrival at the death eater meeting, Severus was greeted with the sight of Remus Lupin, his best friend, writhing on the floor as he howled in pain. The Dark Lord paused in his torture of the werewolf just long enough to order Severus to take over.

He could have accepted. He could have played the role of death eater and tortured Remus, killed him even. Remus would have understood. He'd even forgive him. Or Severus could have fled the scene. It would have been only too easy for him to out-run, or perhaps out-fly, the death eaters. He could have sacrificed Remus in order to save his own skin or just run away like a coward.

But he didn't. Severus Snape, for all his flaws, was not a coward and he would never run from anything. Nor could he turn his own wand upon a friend, not again.

So Severus refused the Dark Lord's command knowing full well what the consequences would be. That was why the Potions Master was sprawled on the floor being subjected to torture whilst Remus had been taken elsewhere by Fenrir Greyback.

When the Dark Lord had grown bored he ordered for Severus to be taken to a cell. For a while, Severus was alone but by morning he had a companion. Remus was thrown in and chained up beside him looking older and more exhausted than ever but still with a determined look in his eye that only Gryffindors seemed capable of.

Whilst Severus still had his trousers on thereby protecting his modesty, Remus was nude with only blood and bruises to cover his flesh. He did not need to ask the werewolf about the bleeding in his anus to know the cause. Fenrir Greyback was known for such twisted deeds.

"You sh-shouldn't have… spare-spared me Sev'rus." Remus wheezed obviously still in a great deal of pain. "Should have… saved your-yourself."

"Blame Katrina." Severus replied using Hermione's animagus name just in case any death eaters were lurking in the shadows; he didn't want to risk her safety. "She's brought out the Gryffindor in me." Even as he was chained to a stone wall, Severus still managed to make the word 'Gryffindor' sound like a form of insult.

"I s'pose th-this is the… the end then?" Remus asked. "This wolf… will n-never see… another full moon."

"Don't be so over-dramatic." Severus told him. "If I'm to die, it will not be at the hands of the Dark Lord or any of his followers. 'The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge'."

"Shakespeare." Remus stated correctly identifying the quote. "Hamlet, right?"

Severus nodded and used his slowly returning strength to pull himself into a less painful position. Remus, whose werewolf strength was helping him to heal faster than the average wizard, did the same.

"So tell me, what is your revenge plan?" Remus asked.

"That you and I survive and escape," Severus answered. "That will be revenge enough… for now."

"I still think it would have been easier if you had killed me." Remus said.

"And so it would," Severus replied. "For you, but not for me."

Sensing that Severus was going to open up about something Remus stayed quiet waiting for the other man to elaborate.

"The dog." Severus said after a while. "His death was upsetting for you. Imagine if you had been the one to kill him, just think how much more painful his death would have been if you had to live on every day knowing that your wand stilled his heart and stole his last breath."

"I imagine that would be unbearable." Remus sighed as he thought of Sirius.

"It is." Severus told him. "More than you could begin to imagine."

"Severus?" Remus asked tentatively.

"You had Sirius for a best friend." Severus commented. "I had Regulus."

"You killed him." Remus said in understanding.

"I killed him." Severus confirmed in a whisper. "And not just once. I kill him almost every night."

"Your nightmares." Remus guessed correctly and the other man nodded.

A silence fell between the two men. It was not awkward or uncomfortable, but pleasant, relaxing almost, an amazing feat considering they were chained to a dungeon wall, one of them naked, both injured and with the threat of danger hanging in the air.

"So how exactly are we going to get out of here?" Remus eventually asked.

"Relax old friend, I've been prepared for such a thing to happen." Severus told him. "Just wait."

The werewolf nodded trustingly and tried to remain calm as he waited for whatever Severus' genius plan was to take action. So far, the plan seemed to involve playing 'I Spy' in a cold dungeon but Remus was sure the Potions Master had another trick up his sleeve. At least he sincerely hoped so or the next unfortunate prisoners would be playing 'I Spy a Dead Werewolf and Potions Teacher'.

He could tell that Severus kept shooting him concerned glances but he chose to ignore them. Now was not the time for Remus to have an emotional break down. For now, he had to stay strong. So the werewolf closed his eyes and with a great deal of effort he managed to convince himself that he was not really chained to a dungeon wall but in fact resting peacefully on a comfy bed. As for the pain in his rectum, that was merely the result of sitting on a broomstick for too long. Nothing more.

"Nothing more." Remus whispered.

He was sure Severus had heard him and he knew the other man had already worked out what he had been subjected to, but neither man broached the subject. Silence. Silence would do for now.

At last, at long last, something seemed to be happening. Remus detected the scuttling sound before Severus did but the Potions Master seemed to perk up at the sounds whilst the werewolf merely looked confused. Just what was so hope-inspiring about a rat?

Before Remus had vocalised his question he worked out the answer himself. He knew that stench and it didn't belong to a common garden rat. That stink was completely Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail.

As the animagus scrambled easily through the cell bars, Remus clearly detected an arrogant smirk forming on Severus' lips. Wormtail stood to his human form, though he still looked very much like a rat, and then released Severus from his restraints before doing the same for Remus. He then handed over two thin pieces of wood; their wands.

With a few choice spells, Severus repaired the damage to his ankles in order for him to be able to walk.

Though Remus was still confused he kept silent. To his surprise, and disgust, Wormtail stripped off his outer robe and handed it to Remus. He magically resized it then pulled the garment on. As he took a proper look at Wormtail he noticed that the wizard was under the Imperious Curse. Many questions raced through the werewolf's mind such as, 'how did Voldemort fail to realise Wormtail was under an enchantment?', but he refrained from asking them. For now it wasn't important.

With a flick of his wrist, Severus unlocked the cell door and Wormtail moved in front of them. They came across only three death eaters and Wormtail easily stunned them before carrying on. The three wizards made their way to the cellar without being detected. Behind the old closed up coal mine was a passage that led to the sewers and away from the manor.

After gesturing for Remus to start making his way through the passage, Severus turned to Wormtail, aimed his wand and with two words and a green flash the wizard was dead, his silver hand making a clanging sound on the cobbled floor.

Together, Severus and Remus made their way quickly through the sewers until they were far enough away to be able to disapparate. They appeared in Hogsmeade village and hurried up to the school heading for the Hospital Wing where unsurprisingly, Dumbledore was waiting for them alongside Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall.

"It's good to see you my boys." Dumbledore told them both obviously relieved to see them alive.

Severus, as he so often did, chose to remain standing. A frail looking Remus crawled onto one of the hospital beds. He let out a sharp wince as pain shot from his anus all the way up his spine. Carefully, he positioned himself so he was on his side; it was less painful that way.

The werewolf closed his eyes, effectively blocking out the faces of the other four as well as the sight of the Hospital Wing. Away from danger, the realisation of what had been done to him finally took its toll on Remus bringing with it the feeling of shame.

"Remus." Madame Pomfrey said gently as she neared the man's bed. "I need to examine you and tend to your injuries."

Even though the Medi-Witch had been nursing him since he was a boy of eleven and tended to the wounds he had inflicted upon himself as a werewolf, Remus couldn't bare to have her touch him now.

"No." He told her still keeping his eyes shut. "Don't touch me. Nobody touch me."

Madame Pomfrey looked helplessly to Dumbledore.

"Poppy, tend to Severus." The Headmaster instructed.

With a nod she began the chore of wrestling the stubborn Potions Master onto a bed to allow himself to be checked over.

"Does this hurt?" She asked as she poked and prodded at some of the bruising.

"Only when you jab your fingers at it you stupid woman." Severus seethed.

"There's no need for that talk Severus." McGonagall told him as she aided Pomfrey in healing the man's wounds. "Be a good boy and you shall get a lolly-pop."

"I despise sugary sweets." Severus retorted before gritting his teeth as Pomfrey magically un-broke his finger bones.

On the other side of the Wing, Dumbledore was gently talking to Remus trying to encourage him to allow Pomfrey to check him over.

"Your injuries need to be healed Remus." Dumbledore pointed out. "You cannot just leave them unattended."

"I'll heal them myself." Remus replied quietly, his voice sounding scratchy.

"My child, you cannot tend to the more… serious injuries. You are not a trained Healer, you do not know how." Dumbledore reasoned.

"I'm not a child." Remus sighed.

"To one as old as I you will always be a child." Dumbledore replied. "Now Remus, you've been very strong and very brave. I need you to continue to show your bravery and allow Poppy to take a look at you and fix you up."

"I'm not broken." Remus huffed upon hearing the word 'fix'. "And I'm tired of being brave Albus."

"I know I ask too much of you." Dumbledore said sadly. "I always do. I ask too much of you, of Severus, of Harry. It is not easy but it is necessary."

For a while Remus was quiet as his mind repeated all that the Headmaster had said. He was so manipulative sometimes but his heart was in the right place. The better part of Remus' brain also knew that the bearded wizard was right. His injuries did need to be taken care of and his limited knowledge of healing spells was not nearly enough for him to heal himself.

"Severus." Remus said eventually. "I want Severus to do it."

Although the Potion Master's skills were not as great as Poppy's they were sufficient enough. With a smile and a hint of twinkle returning to his eye, Dumbledore crossed the room to where Severus was snarling at the two women who fussed over him.

"Remus asks that you be the one to heal him." Dumbledore told Severus.

A few minutes later, the two witches deemed Severus 'healed' and he made his way over to Remus. He pulled the screen around the bed to give them some privacy.

Slowly, Severus helped the werewolf out of Wormtail's robes. The slender male shivered slightly from the cold but turned onto his hands and knees exposing his rear.

For Remus' sake, Severus worked as quickly as possible but made sure not to cause him any further pain. The two were quiet throughout the treatment. Severus' surly words and sarcasm were not appropriate and Remus had to put all his effort into trying to keep still. Although his mind knew that it was Severus behind him and not Greyback or anyone else who might want to violate him, Remus' body still flinched at the softest touch.

"All done." Severus whispered once he'd cleaned his friend up and repaired the damage as best as he could.

"Thank you." Remus managed to say.

Wordlessly, Severus transfigured the werewolf some clothes out of a few hospital gowns and handed them over.

"I'm out here if you need me." Severus told him before stepping out onto the other side of the screen so his friend could dress in private.

"Thank you my boy." Dumbledore said proudly as he patted Severus on the shoulder.

They waited for Remus to emerge and when he did he asked if it would be possible for him to shower.

"Of course." Severus answered. "You may use my bathroom."

"And then you ought to rest." Poppy piped up. "Both of you." She said sternly looking pointedly at Severus.

"What time is it?" Severus asked wondering how many lessons he'd missed.

"Almost one in the afternoon." McGonagall answered. "We gave the students a day off from lessons when we realised you had not returned."

"You should have kept them working." Severus replied before he and Remus made their way out.

When they reached Severus' chambers they found Hermione, Draco and Harry sat on the sofa. He scowled slightly at the fact Hermione had permitted Potter to enter his rooms but now was not the time to complain.

"Severus, Remus." Hermione gasped in a mixture, or relief, confusion and a small amount of anger. "What happened to you? Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"I wasn't worried." Draco lied.

"We'll talk later." Severus told them all. "Now run along and do some homework or something."

"Remus, are you ok?" Harry asked looking concernedly at the werewolf.

"I'm fine Harry." He told him putting on a smile. "Just tired."

"It's time for you to leave." Severus said in a voice not to be disobeyed. "You too, Hermione." He added when she hovered by the door. "The bathroom is through there." He told Remus.

"Thank you." Remus replied. "Severus?" He asked before making his way to the shower. "How did you manage to place Wormtail under the Imperious Curse without Voldemort's knowledge?"

"When I attend meetings, it is always Wormtail who opens the door for me." Severus explained. "I curse him every time just in case the worse should happen. He is then under my instruction to stay in his animagus form. The Dark Lord does not notice when he is or isn't there, he is not valuable enough. Usually I take the curse off when I leave and no-one is any the wiser. I had him retrieve our wands when it was safe to then make his way down to us when most of the death eaters were gone."

"Good plan." Remus approved. "It certainly worked. I'm still surprised Voldemort never suspected anything was amiss though."

"That was the wonderful thing about Pettigrew," Severus replied. "He was such a bumbling idiot that no-one ever suspected him of anything."

Remus walked off to take his shower and Severus settled himself into his armchair.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx **


	35. Escape

**Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, I kinda struggled with this chapter so sorry if it sucks lol**

**Random fact about me: When I was younger I wanted to be a Witch or a Vampire Slayer**

**Chapter 35-Escape **

Back in the Head Boy and Girl dormitory, Hermione was pacing up and down listing all the possibilities of what could have happened to Severus and Remus.

Draco was draped across the couch with his head in Harry's lap as the Gryffindor boy stroked his hair. He was slowly losing his patience with Hermione as she continued to worry.

"Why didn't he want to speak to me?" She asked. "What have I done wrong?"

"Nothing." Draco snapped at her in annoyance. "Not everything is about you Hermione."

Harry sent his boyfriend a reproachful look for his harsh honesty but the blonde didn't care. His words also caused Hermione to finally stop pacing. Now she was just standing still wringing her hands together.

"I only want to help." Hermione said meekly.

"We know." Harry told her gently. "But now isn't the right time. Snape said he'd talk to you later."

"Do you think Voldemort's found out he's a spy?" Hermione asked fearfully as she moved to sit in the armchair.

Draco and Harry looked at each other. Both of them believed this to be the case but neither wanted to admit it. Severus had been their most powerful weapon against Voldemort so far, if his position with the death eaters was lost then that would be a major set back for the Order.

Seeing the looks on the boys' faces, Hermione knew they did think Voldemort had discovered the truth about Severus' loyalty, or disloyalty depending how you looked at the situation.

"This is awful." Hermione whined. "Why does everything have to go wrong? We're going to lose. Voldemort's going to kill us all in our sleep and the world as we know it will be ruined."

"Mione, just calm down." Harry told her as the girl began to hyperventilate. "I know things haven't been easy lately but we have to stay positive and look on the bright side."

"The bright side." Hermione echoed as she massaged her temples. "What is the bright side? Everything seems dark to me."

"Well of course it does, your eyes are closed." Draco interjected. "What?" He asked defensively as the two Gryffindors turned to frown at him. "Is now not an appropriate time for humour?"

"No." Harry answered. "In case you hadn't noticed Hermione's having an emotional break down."

"I am not." She said from where she was sitting in the armchair. "I'm just… I don't know. Everything is just fucked up."

The two boys stared at her in shock as they heard her swear.

"Look Herms, I know you're freaking out and I'm totally worried but could you be a bit quieter in your mental issues?" Draco asked. "You're interrupting quality make-out time with my boyfriend."

"Oh I do apologise." Hermione retorted sarcastically before taking a breath in an attempt to calm down. "I'm just sooo stressed."

"Really?" Draco asked pretending to sound shocked. "I hadn't noticed."

"Oh go bleach your hair." Hermione scoffed at him.

"Try straightening yours." Draco retaliated.

"Go and shag Moody." She told him.

"Professors aren't my style." Draco said as he examined his nails. "I'll leave that to you sweetheart."

"Insensitive snot." Hermione snapped.

"Little Miss Know-it-all." Draco sang.

Hermione stood up with her hands on hips prepared to make an angry retort but Harry stood up and spoke first.

"For Merlin sake will you two just cut out?" Harry yelled in frustration. "Hermione, please, give it a rest." Harry groaned when the girl opened her mouth to retort.

"He started it." Hermione mumbled childishly.

"I so did not. Anyway, you shouldn't be such a…"

"That's enough Ron!" Harry snapped.

The three of them froze as they realised Harry had mistakenly called Draco Ron. In all fairness, it wasn't Harry's fault. He was so used to Hermione and Ron fighting the way she and Draco were that it only seemed natural for him to yell at the red-haired boy's name as he had so many times before. Of course, Ron was gone and he and Hermione would never bicker again.

Harry turned his back to the other two and took off his glasses to give them an unneeded polish on his shirt. He heard a small sniff and guessed Hermione was crying. Slipping his glasses back on his face he turned back to face her with a look of apology.

Her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand before muttering something about needing some fresh air. The witch then transformed into her feline shape and made her way out with Crookshanks following behind her mewling in what Harry assumed to be comfort.

With a sigh, Harry looked to Draco who was sat on the couch with his head in his hands staring at the floor. The posture did not suit the blonde and Harry longed to see him sit in his usual arrogant pureblood manner.

"You could me Ron." Draco stated quietly.

"Sorry." Harry apologised. "It just… slipped out."

"I'm not Ron." Draco pointed out unnecessarily as he lifted his head to meet Harry's green gaze with his steel grey. "And I'm never going to be Ron. You realise that right? I'm not his replacement."

"Draco, I don't think of you like that." Harry sighed as he sat beside him. "It was just an accident. He and Hermione used to squabble like that all the time and I always had to step in before wands were drawn and curses were fired. It's a habit I guess. But it doesn't mean anything. As much as I miss Ron and as much as I wish he was still here I know that you're not him. And I don't want you to be him. You're Draco Malfoy; I wouldn't want you to be anyone else."

"Good." Draco replied. "And just so we're clear I'm not dying my hair red or anything."

"We're clear." Harry said. "Do you think Mione will be ok? I've never seen her so hysterical. Usually I'm the one who's over-dramatic by throwing things around and yelling the house down. Normally she's the one who acts calm."

"She's had a lot to deal with." Draco said talking about the girl much more sympathetically now that she wasn't in the room. "She lost her Grandfather and her best friend on the same day. Everyone else lost one person but she lost two. And Weas-Ron died in her arms. That's not something she's going to get over easily. Then there's all this drama going on with her and Sev. I doubt she even knows where she stands with him at the moment. I'm not sure if the two of them have really talked about it."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, you're my boyfriend." Draco answered as he straddled the Gryffindors lap and pressed a quick kiss to his lightening bolt scar. "I know that and you know that. But Sev and Herms probably haven't talked about what they are and put a definition to their relationship. She's probably fretting that Sev's going to suddenly decide she's too young and turn her away for good."

"But he wouldn't do that would he?" Harry asked. "I mean, Snape isn't my favourite person but Hermione seems really into him and I think… well, it seems like Snape cares about her too and… she's like a sister to me. I can't stand the thought of anyone hurting her."

"To be honest I'd say it's more likely that she'll hurt him than the other way round." Draco replied.

"What? Hermione isn't like that." Harry said in defence of his friend. "She'd never hurt anyone."

"We are talking about the same girl who punched me in the face third year right?" Draco asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"You deserved that punch." Harry told him reasonably. "And you know what I meant. Mione isn't the type to mess a guy around and stomp on his heart with the heel of her shoe."

"I know." Draco nodded as he fiddled with the hairs on the back of Harry's neck. "But Hermione is still so young, if things didn't work out between her and Sev she'd be ok, she'd get over it. Sure, she might spend a few nights crying into her pillow and listening to sappy music but soon enough she'd be over him looking for someone knew. But if things didn't work out Sev would be crushed. Not for a few nights or a week or two, forever. He'd never get over it, over her."

"Why not?" Harry asked in obvious confusion. "I mean Snape's a bloke and he has that whole 'I-hate-the-world-and-everybody-in-it' thing going on. People even question if the guy has a heart."

"Of course he does." Draco said. "He acts like an uncaring jerk most of the time but he's actually—how can I say this—a Hufflepuff. The man is a Hufflepuff. Honestly he's so Hufflepuff-like underneath that cloak of surliness it's embarrassing. Besides, when men fall in love, they fall deeper than women do. A man will always love a woman more than she'll love him back."

"You just made that up didn't you?" Harry accused.

"I certainly did not." Draco replied snootily. "I'll have you know that my father told me that."

"Lucius, really?" Harry asked with a snort of disbelief. "Are you going to tell me he's a Hufflepuff too underneath the Malfoy smirk?"

"Absolutely not." Draco huffed. "Now, less talk and more sexual activity."

"As you wish, you're the Head Boy." Harry replied before his mouth was invaded by Draco's incredibly skilled tongue.

***

When Remus finished showering, he joined Severus in the lounge and the two men sat in silence as they stared into the depths of the fire. Wordlessly, the Potions Master poured them both a generous amount of scotch.

"You probably ought to contact the Nymph." Severus said. "I'm sure Albus has already let her know you're safe but I imagine she is still worrying. She'll want to see you."

"Not yet." Remus sighed. "I love Tonks but… not yet."

Severus nodded in understanding as he sipped at his drink. He was not ready to see Hermione yet either.

"Do you need to talk about your… ordeal?" Severus asked.

"No." Remus replied simply. "That won't be necessary thank you."

"If you should ever change your mind, I'll be here." Severus told him.

Remus nodded gratefully as he drained the rest of his scotch then set the glass down. The werewolf leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

"I'm the last Marauder." He said as he suddenly realised this fact. "James and Sirius are both gone and now Peter is too. It is only I that is left."

"Look on the bright side, you've still got me." Severus replied.

"Why Severus, I didn't know you cared." Remus teased. "Does this mean you forgive me for that time I almost ate you?"

"You never needed to earn my forgiveness for that prank of Black's." Severus answered. "I never blamed you. However, speaking of forgiveness and such, I'd like to make an apology."

"Well then I consider myself a privileged man." Remus replied. "You are not known for making apologies."

"Indeed." The raven haired man replied. "And it is likely that you'll never hear me make an apology again so pay attention." He cleared his throat and Remus sat up straighter grinning with slight amusement. "I'm sorry for _accidentally _letting slip that you were a werewolf to my Slytherins when you were a professor here."

"Apology accepted." Remus told him.

***

Along with Crookshanks, Hermione, in the form of Katrina, made her way through the base of the Whomping Willow and up to the bedroom in the Shrieking Shack.

She hopped onto the bed and curled up on one of the pillows. Crookshanks slinked up beside her nuzzling her furry head affectionately. Katrina purred in gratitude as she drew comfort from her pet.

Rather than transform back into her usual form, she chose to stay as a cat. She found that her worries and anxieties didn't ache as badly whilst in her feline form. Although she knew she'd have to return to her human body and deal with the pains of her human life, it was nice to escape for a few hours.

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	36. A Death Eater's Past

**Disclaimer-Still don't own Harry Potter**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, sorry it took so long to update, I had writer's cramps with this story but I finally managed to type something up, it's quite heavy with dialogue so sorry if that bothers you, anyway hope you like it**

**Random fact about me: When I was younger I wanted to marry Alan Rickman… that voice just does things to me**

**Warning: Brief mentions of cancer **

**Chapter 36-A Death Eater's Past **

When Hermione awoke on the morning of March the first, a lone tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away and turned her head to the left. Severus was still asleep with his raven coloured hair contrasting sharply with the white pillow sheet. His hair was fanned around his head like a dark halo.

A few strands were draped across his porcelain face so Hermione gently brushed them away. The man looked so peaceful in his slumber and she didn't have the heart to wake him.

He had slept well that night with the Head Girl by his side but for the first time, Hermione had not drawn comfort from the presence of the Potions Master. Last night, the nightmares had attacked her mind and they lingered around her still.

Slipping carefully out of the bed, Hermione moved to perch herself on the window sill. It seemed a pleasant day. The sky was blue with fluffy looking clouds and a glimmer of golden sun. The dancing leaves also suggested a gentle wind.

Despite the beauty offered to her from the view of the window, Hermione felt another tear slip down her cheek that was soon joined by another, then another, then another and then countless more.

Had he still been alive, Ron would be celebrating his eighteenth birthday.

Turning her eyes away from the scenery of the school grounds, Hermione transformed into Katrina and left Severus to continue sleeping.

She ran through the castle corridors and up to Gryffindor tower. Standing in her human form, she gave the Fat Lady the password before stepping through the portrait hole and making her way up to the 7th year boys' dormitory.

Neville was snoring softly, Seamus was mumbling Irish words that Hermione did not understand and Dean had his feet tucked under his pillow and his head poking out from under the quilt down the bottom of the mattress.

Harry was awake, as was Ginny. The two of them were sitting in Ron's old bed with the quilt pulled up to their chins. They exchanged a sad smile with Hermione before moving the quilt aside so that she could climb in beside them.

She rested her head on Harry's shoulder and inhaled the smell of the quilt covers before letting out a sad sigh. They didn't smell like Ron anymore. His scent was gone, just like he was gone.

To Hermione, it felt like she was losing Ron all over again, like he had died in her arms just moments ago rather than months. She wondered how Ginny and the rest of the Weasley's must be feeling. Did Ron's death hurt them more than it hurt Harry and herself or was their pain equal?

"He'd be tearing the wrapping paper off his presents right now." Harry commented. "Then he'd be stuffing chocolate frogs in his mouth along with any other food he could find."

"Mum always used to bake him a birthday cake." Ginny said. "Every year she'd send one. A sponge cake with cream and jam in the middle and melted chocolate on top. He used to love mum's birthday cakes. He'd never let the twins have any but he always saved me the last slice."

"I still miss him so much." Hermione told them. "I thought… I thought maybe the pain would lessen. I thought his loss wouldn't hurt forever, but my heart still aches, every single second. When people say things will get better in time, or that everything's going to be ok, they're just lying. I don't think it ever gets better, that it ever stops hurting."

"It won't feel like this forever." Harry replied as he squeezed her shoulder. "When Cedric died, it was horrible. I had so many nightmares. Then I lost Sirius, that was even worse and then… then I lost Ron. It hurts like hell but I know I've still got more people to lose. We all die eventually, that's the one thing we all have in common. It won't hurt this bad forever. Things will get easier."

"Why do people have to die?" Ginny asked and as Hermione looked over at the younger girl she found that she looked less like the teenage Ginny and more like the eleven year old she had been when she first came to Hogwarts.

"That's the way the world is Gin." Harry answered. "We all have to die someday, it's cruel but it's true."

"No it's not." Hermione disagreed and the other two looked at her. "Life is cruel, not death. Death is a kindness."

"Mione, don't talk like that." Harry told her. "It scares me."

"I'm not suicidal if that's what you're thinking." Hermione replied. "I just feel as though life is a chore. So many awful things happen, it's exhausting. I'm so tired of crying."

"So smile." Harry suggested.

"I'm not sure I remember how." Hermione answered.

"Not everything in life is bad." Ginny spoke up. "It might feel like that, especially on days like this, but there are good things too. The happier things are just harder to remember sometimes. But you have Snape and you love each other right?"

"I don't know anymore." Hermione sighed. "I've told him I love him but he's never said it back. I hardly even know the man. When I try and talk to him about personal things he shuts down. Sometimes I feel like he's a total stranger but at the same time… I know that I love him. I'm just not sure if he loves me too."

"Of course he does." Harry told her. "He'd be crazy not to."

"Love doesn't always have to be shown through words you know." Ginny said. "Sometimes actions speak louder than words."

Hermione thought over what her two friends had said and the three of them sat silently for a while. The silence was disturbed however when Seamus sat up muttering something about a leprechaun.

The Irishman looked over at the three of them. He furrowed his brow in confusion wondering what they were all doing in the same bed. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Seamus realised what day it was and his normally cheerful face morphed into one of sympathy and unease.

"Um… good morning?" Seamus tried not really sure what he should do or say.

"Morning mate." Harry replied quietly as he hugged the girls tighter to his chest.

Ordinarily, Seamus would have made some lewd comment about Harry having two girls snuggled up to him but that morning was clearly not one for Irish humour. He smiled tentatively at the three before heading to the bathroom taking longer with his morning routine than usual.

Not long after, Dean and Neville woke up. They two found the atmosphere uncomfortable and after offering the three their sympathy they left the dormitory.

It was a weekend so there were no lessons that day. This allowed the three of them to simply stay in Ron's bed talking about fond memories of the lanky redhead.

The other Gryffindor boys respectfully kept out of their way although Neville did return at lunch and dinner time insisting that the three eat something. They called upon Dobby the house-elf who showed up wearing Ron's maroon jumper and one of his maroon socks mismatched with a mustard coloured sock that had once belonged to Harry's Uncle Vernon.

When Hermione eventually left the dormitory, she transfigured into her cat form and headed down to the Shrieking Shack. To her surprise, when she entered the bedroom, she spied a raven perched upon the bed.

The birds eyes focused on the cat intently and a soft squawk emitted from the ravens beak. The feline purred in response before leaping onto the bed and curling up. The feathered creature nipped gently on the corner of the cat's ear before growing into the form of a man.

Severus positioned himself on his back with his head on the pillow and gathered Katrina onto his chest. He stroked her sleek black fur earning himself a grateful mewl.

"Silly Kat." Severus whispered affectionately.

He traced a finger over the brown wisps on Katrina's head causing the animagus' whiskers to quiver.

"I know that you've been coming here." Severus said matter of factly. "What I don't understand is why. Do you come out here to hide? Tell me."

Katrina meowed in response causing the Potions Master to scowl slightly.

"Miss Granger, I refuse to have a one-sided conversation with a cat." He droned. "So would you kindly return to your regular form so we can have a proper conversation like two mature adults?"

She didn't want to change. She liked being in her cat form. Everything felt easier that way.

"Hermione." Severus said, a small bite to his tone. "If you don't change back of your own accord I _will _force you to." He threatened as he pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes.

With a roll of her cat eyes, Katrina morphed into Hermione. She rolled off of Severus' chest to rest comfortably by his side. He circled an arm around her shoulders and fiddled with a curl of her hair, something he often did recently.

"Why do you come here?" He asked her with a gentleness few people knew him to be capable of.

"I like it here." Hermione replied with a shrug. "When I'm down here, I can almost forget about everything going on up there. I can forget about the pressure of my N.E., all the reports in the Prophet about death eater activity, the war, the prophecy and Harry's involvement in it, Grandpa, Ron… none of that seems to matter when I'm alone down here. And when I'm Katrina, it doesn't hurt as much but…"

"But?" Severus pressed arching an eyebrow.

"When I come back up, when I'm me again, the hurt just intensifies." Hermione answered.

"Then perhaps it would be beneficial for your emotional well-being if you stopped coming down here." Severus suggested.

"But when I'm here it's peaceful for a while." Hermione replied. "Then when the pain returns, it reminds me I'm still real. It's worth it… I think."

"You don't need to hide down here Hermione." Severus told her. "You should come to me."

"Why?" Hermione asked in a tone of confusion, not cruelty. "You don't come to me with your problems. You just pretend they aren't there. Why can't I do the same?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of losing you." Severus replied. "I always viewed emotions as a sign of weakness. For that reason, I never let anybody get too close to me; I always held them at a distance. I believed that if I didn't let people in, if I didn't allow myself to open my heart to others, that it would be less painful when circumstances stole them from me."

"Did it work?" Hermione asked.

"No." He answered. "I couldn't even close off from people properly. I fooled others into believing that I didn't care, but in truth I still cared for a select few very deeply. Losing them tore me up inside, I just never allowed people to see my wounds. But there were times when I feared that I really would stop caring, that I would lose myself."

"I don't understand." Hermione admitted as she rolled Severus' shirt sleeve back and traced the tattoo that marred his ivory skin. The first few times she had dared to do such a thing, Severus had tensed up and the vein in his temple had throbbed as it did when he was angry, but as she ran her finger over the dark-mark now his muscles did not tense. The only change was the blanket of goose bumps that appeared on his arm.

"In my school years, I used to be close friends with Lily Evans."

"Harry's mother." Hermione stated and she felt him nod.

"She was the very first friend I ever made." Severus revealed.

"Did you ever… have _feelings _for her?" Hermione asked with just a touch of envy entering her voice.

"Not of the romantic sort." Severus assured her. "I only ever viewed her as a friend. But in our fifth year, I pulled away from her. Potter and Black made my school years Hell. Back then, Lily was one of the few good things in my life."

"So why did you pull away from her?" Hermione enquired.

"The Slytherins also gave me a hard time for being friends with her." Severus explained. "Because she was a Gryffindor and a muggle-born. One day, I came across Black arguing with Black in an empty classroom."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Sirius and Bellatrix then." Severus said to make things simpler to understand. "The crazy witch was yelling about how the mangy mutt was dishonouring the family name and such. She also worked in a few insults about a muggle-born girl that he was dating at the time. He always had a short temper so of course he reacted badly. Then she laughed at him with that skin-curling cackle of hers and said that his problem was that he cared too much. She said that his feelings clouded his judgement and that if he thought more with his head and less with his heart then perhaps he could have made his father proud. Those words, though not directed at me, really created a sting."

"Is that how you felt about your father?" Hermione questioned gently. "That you didn't make him proud?"

"I know I didn't make him proud." Severus replied bitterly. "Black… Sirius, couldn't care less what his parents thought, but I did. Despite how much I loathed my father, I still wanted to earn his respect and have him love me but I knew it would never happen. I decided then that I needed to be more like Bellatrix and stop caring about people. Of course, Lily would realise something was wrong and she would have tried to make things better. But I didn't want her to. I didn't want to feel anymore but if she was my friend that would not be possible. So I had to make her hate me. I called her a mudblood, one of the few things that really upset her. I still see the look on her face."

"I'm sorry." Hermione mumbled not knowing what else to say. She recalled the first time she had been called a mudblood, it hadn't been pleasant. Although the term didn't bother her anymore she could imagine how hearing that insult from a friend must hurt. "So after you withdrew from Lily, what happened?"

"For a while, I almost stopped caring." Severus said. "But that year I lost my mother. She had cancer, leukaemia."

"I'm sorry." Hermione said again cuddling closer to the older man.

"When I lost her, all the emotions I'd been refusing to feel attacked me full-force." Severus told her. "By this time, I had already taught myself the art of animagi. I was permitted to leave school grounds and attend her funeral. When I returned that evening I went up to the Astronomy tower. I was standing by the ledge thinking about transforming and flying away when Regulus Black showed up. He had heard about my mother and when he saw me by the edge of the tower he thought I was trying to commit suicide and he tried to stop me even though I didn't need to be stopped. After that, we became friends. Best friends. I allowed myself to feel again."

"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.

"After leaving school the two of us became death eaters." Severus answered shamefully. "It was my idea. I'd had a huge fight with my father and I was so angry. He'd caught me crying over an old photograph of my mother. He told me I was weak, pathetic. Then he carried on saying how I was a waste of space and that being a wizard was useless. He told me that he wished it was me who had died." He took a breath before continuing. "Regulus and I joined the death eaters and the first thing I did was murder my own father. Not because the Dark Lord had ordered me to, simply because I _wanted _to. Until then, I'd never performed magic in front of him. Even my mother hadn't used it around him when she was alive. But I showed him what a wizard could do that night. I tortured him for hours. He cried and begged for me to stop but I didn't listen. I just laughed in his face and told him that he was the weak one. Then I killed him and I didn't feel guilty, not even for a second. It felt good."

Hermione chewed her lower lip and pulled her eyes away from Severus' face. She felt sick. Although she knew that Severus had once been a death eater, and she had long accepted that he must have carried out some heinous deeds, nothing could have prepared her for what she was now hearing.

The eyes that she loved to stare into, the lips she loved to kiss, the long fingers that felt so good when they touched her skin, they all belonged to a man who had not only murdered his own father, but he'd enjoyed it too.

"What happened after that?" Hermione forced herself to ask though she still didn't turn back to look at the man's face. Although she didn't want to hear what he would say, she knew that she had to. She had to hear this, all of it.

"The Dark Arts have always fascinated me." Severus continued. "To begin with, my fascination came from my thirst for knowledge, but after murdering my father… I became obsessed with power. All my life, I had felt weak and powerless. I was bullied by my peers, sneered at by my father; I'd never been in control. Then for the first time I felt powerful. It was like a drug. However, Regulus didn't take to being a death eater the way I did. He tried to run away. He didn't get very far. He was found and dragged back to the Dark Lord. When they forced him into the room, he looked so much like his brother… all Gryffindorish. He knew he was going to die in that room but he wasn't scared."

"Voldemort killed him?" Hermione guessed.

"No, he made me do it." Severus told her and she finally turned back to look at him. "After that… the nightmares started. I started to feel again. Guilt, self-hatred. It was then that I went to Albus seeking help. You see Hermione, emotions are not a weakness, they are a sign of strength. If I hadn't forced myself to stop feeling, I'd have stayed friends with Lily and she'd never have let me become a death eater. And if I hadn't have started feeling again, I'd have lost myself forever, I'd never have found you and I'd be… I'd be just like the Dark Lord. I don't ever want you to go through anything like that. Don't try to run away from your emotions Hermione, ever."

Hermione took a deep breath and moved so she was sitting on the bed with her feet on the floor. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples thinking over all the information she had just received.

"Is there anything else I should know about your past?" She asked as he moved so he was sitting too.

"I believe that is all you need to know." Severus answered. "And now that you do know… do you still love me?"

**To Be Continued**

**Please Review**

**Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx**


	37. Sweet Merlin

**Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter**

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed**

**Random fact about me: I was listening to Eminem as I wrote this chapter**

**Chapter 37-Sweet Merlin**

_Previously:_

"I believe that is all you need to know." Severus answered. "And now that you do know… do you still love me?"

Turning to look at him, Hermione opened her mouth but no sound came out. He was looking back at her waiting patiently for an answer. Despite the seriousness of the question he had just asked the Potions Master seemed calm.

Had the situation been reversed, Hermione was sure her heart would be hammering, her palms sweating and her bottom lip quivering as her eyes brimmed with tears. But Severus was not one to wear his heart on his sleeves. His face was annoyingly impassive and Hermione found it frustrating that she had no idea as to what the man was thinking.

Since her early childhood, Hermione loved to read books, but Severus was no charming fairytale for her to lose herself in. He did not come with pretty words and illustrations. For the most part, he was a closed book hiding away on a dusty shelf, but when the pages were eventually revealed, they were filled with the tellings of gruesome tales and horror stories.

He wasn't Prince Charming upon a horse of white, but she was no Cinderella so it didn't really matter. Severus wasn't the typical Romeo-like character that most young girls dream of marrying. He wasn't perfect. He was a man with a dark past, a villain almost. He had flirted with evil, succumbed to the seduction of sin and then he'd managed to escape before the jaws of immorality had trapped him forever.

Yes, he'd tortured and murdered countless people, but he saw the error of his ways and had since striven to make amends for his evil deeds. That didn't bring any of the man's victims back to life, nor did it excuse his past actions but surely it meant something. It took a spineless coward to turn to the darkness and become a killer, but it took someone of great courage to step out of the darkness and back into the light.

Although Hermione had known from the start of their relationship that Severus was a death eater, it had never truly occurred to her that he was a killer. The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt. Of course he had killed people, that's what the death eaters did. Then there was also the fact that there was a war all those years ago. Severus certainly wasn't the only person to have killed. Professor Dumbledore must have turned his wand on his fair share of death eaters. Then there were people like Remus Lupin and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They were involved in the war first time round and no doubt had to kill in order to survive then.

The only difference was that Severus, to begin with, had been on the wrong side of the war. But he was on the right side now and the man before her today was not the same lost soul who had joined the ranks of the death eaters. He was just somebody who had made a mistake, as all humans do.

She had no idea what Severus might have been like in his younger years when he had first become a death eater, but whoever that boy was, he was long gone now. Hermione had not met that side of her professor and she would never have to for that part of him was in the past, he no longer existed.

Hermione only knew the Severus that was sitting beside her now and that was the man she had fallen in love with. The past did not matter, it was only ghosts and memories and they should not let it haunt them.

It was then she realised that he was still waiting for an answer. However, rather than give it to him, she asked a question of her own.

"Do you love me?" Hermione asked.

He blinked in surprise at her words then his mouth became a very thin line.

"I asked you first." Severus pointed out.

"So childish." Hermione muttered under her breath as she stood to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not some silly school girl with a crush on her professor." She told him. "I've told you before that I love you. When you love someone you don't just fall out of love whenever times get hard and rough."

"So, you _do _still love me?" Severus asked as he stood up meaning that she had to look up at him rather than down. "You're not disgusted or afraid?"

"I'm terrified…" She began to say and Severus looked away, a flash of pain crossing his usually impassive features.

"I understand." Severus forced himself to say as he turned his back to her and crossed his arms over his chest. "If I were in your position I'd be terrified of me too."

"You don't terrify me." Hermione scoffed and he turned back to her almost looking offended. "

"Then what is it you're afraid of?" Severus enquired.

"I'm scared…" Now it was Hermione who crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back. "I love you Severus… but I'm scared that you _don't _love me."

"Hermione." He sighed quietly as he stepped behind her winding his arms around her waist. "You're such a silly girl."

He moved one arm up and brushed her brown curls away from her neck before dropping light kisses on her throat. He then turned her in his arms so they were facing one another and pulled her into a slow kiss.

She kissed back for a few moments before stepping away when her mind registered that he _still _hadn't told her if he loved her or not. All he'd done was call her 'a silly girl' and that did not please her in the slightest.

"I take it I've said something wrong." Severus drawled as he took in her icy expression.

"It's more to do with what you _haven't _said." Hermione replied. "Severus, do you love me or not?"

Like a shadow, Severus covered the young woman bringing their lips together again, more passionately than before. Once again, he found himself being pushed away.

"Stop trying to distract me and answer the question." Hermione snapped at him.

She looked at him expectantly waiting for his response. He was standing to his full height, arms by his sides with his hands balled into fists. His charcoal eyes were boring into her but Hermione could not begin to decipher the meaning in those dark irises.

All she could really focus on was the silence that was stretching on and becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. He wasn't saying anything. Did that mean he had nothing to say? Did that mean he didn't love her?

"Severus?" She whispered in a pleading voice. "Say something… anything."

"That day you jumped into the water," Severus commented. "That was the day I realised how deeply I felt about you. Even with all the horrific things I've seen and done over the years, that day I saw you drowning was far worse than anything else I've ever witnessed. When I jumped in after you, I didn't even think before acting, I just did what my head and heart screamed for me to. Gryffindor behaviour almost." He let out a single chuckle before turning his eyes back to Hermione, the irises looking a shade lighter. "Surely you know how I feel for you."

Hermione shook her head at him causing the professor to frown. Although Hermione understood what the man was trying to say, it wasn't enough for her, she needed to hear the words.

"Say it." Hermione half-begged, half-demanded. "All I want is three words."

Clucking his tongue, Severus waved his wand and the words, 'I love you' magically formed in the air, green in colour.

"Not good enough Severus." Hermione told him.

She shook her head again before turning out of the shack and leaving. She made her way slowly back to the trunk of the Willow but Severus did not follow her. He stayed in the shack and watched the magically formed words fade into nothingness.

***

That night, Hermione crawled into her own bed in her Head Girl dorm. She tossed and turned unable to find sleep. Moving out of the bed, she crossed to the window and threw it open looking out into the night sky. Fiddling with a curl of her hair, she waited, hoping to see Severus fly towards her in his raven form.

For a long while she stared at out at the moon and the stars but the raven did not appear. Closing the window she turned back to her bed and let out a soft gasp when she found Severus stood leaning against her bedroom door with a smirk on his face.

"How did you get in?" Hermione asked him tiredly.

"I've been a spy for many years Hermione." Severus reminded her. "I have my ways."

"How long have you been there?" She asked.

"Since you first opened the window." He answered. "Is it ok that I'm here, or would you like me to leave?"

"Stay." Hermione said simply as she pulled back the covers and waited for him to join her on the bed.

To begin with, Hermione kept to one side of the bed with her back to Severus but it wasn't long before she silently admitted defeat and rolled over to curl up by Severus' side.

"I love you." Severus whispered so quietly that Hermione wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not.

She pulled her head up to stare at his face in the darkness. A rare smile formed on his lips and she returned it full force before melding their mouths together.

"Thank you." She breathed. "I love you too."

"Just don't expect me to go on double dates with Draco and Potter because I can promise you now it's _never _going to happen." Severus replied.

"Agreed." Hermione laughed and she leaned down to kiss him again.

She shifted her body and rested herself on top of him. His hands moved to rub gentle circles on her hips before travelling up to her bottom and squeezing. Hermione moaned softly and rubbed her pelvis downwards.

"Hermione." Severus gasped. "If you kiss me again tonight I won't be able to keep my hands to myself."

"I don't want you to." She replied before kissing him again.

In an instant, Severus had flipped her onto her back and he was now looming over her whispering words in her ear in that silky voice of his.

***

The following morning, Hermione had a huge grin on her face and a slight tint of pink to her cheeks as she ate her breakfast, occasionally letting out a soft giggle or two.

"Are you ok Mione?" Harry asked her looking at her oddly.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be." Hermione replied.

Harry cast a questioning look to Neville, Seamus and Dean but all three looked as clueless as he felt.

"Ginny?" Harry asked looking to the redhead for an explanation but she simply shrugged.

A short while later, Draco swaggered over from the Slytherin table to join his boyfriend. He sat in Harry's lap and quirked an elegant eyebrow at Hermione when another laugh sounded from her lips.

"You look different." Draco observed with a suspicious note to his tone.

"I don't know what you mean Draco." Hermione told him with a smile before looking past him towards the teachers' table.

The blonde twisted his neck round and followed her gaze. His eyes landed on Severus who had a smirk plastered across his pale face.

"Sweet Merlin!" Draco exclaimed in a very loud voice as he turned back to face Hermione. "You've lost your virginity!"

Hermione's cheeks flamed as red as Ginny's hair as the entire student population turned to gawk at her.

"Severus, my boy?" Dumbledore asked from beside the Potions Master. "I do hope you had sense enough to use contraception last night."

The smirk slipped off of Severus' face and he turned paler than normal.

"Ah." Dumbledore said realising the answer was no.

**The End**

**(Yes, I know it's a lame place to end it but I've honestly lost all enthusiasm/motivation/inspiration for this fic and I just want to be done with it, so there it is. Sorry if it's a disappointment but I really lost the magic with this story)**

**Still, Please Review**

**Love, Hugs and Apologies xxx**


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